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(Breaking news) Two charged with painting racist graffiti
Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009
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Posted at 6:20 p.m. Wednesday
Charles County sheriff's officers have charged an Indian Head teenager and a La Plata man with spray-painting racial slurs last week in multiple locations, including a Pisgah church.
Kenneth Allen Sanders, 19, of Indian Head and Ronald Christopher Smythers, 21, of La Plata allegedly drove a truck to five different locations the night of Feb. 9 and painted hateful messages or symbols at each site, according to court documents.
The next morning, graffiti was found at a Nanjemoy service station, a Pisgah church and Mount Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School. The Calvert Wood Recycling Center sign and a stop sign at Annapolis Woods Road and Poorhouse Road were also vandalized, police reported.
Police said the spray-painting discovered Feb. 10 may be related to vandalism discovered earlier in month. Racial slurs were found Feb. 3 painted on Gale Bailey Elementary School in Marbury and on a classroom trailer at Henry E. Lackey High School in Indian Head, according to police.
Sheriff's officers arrested Smythers on Feb. 16, and the next day, Allen was served a criminal summons, police reported. Sanders was charged with four counts of malicious destruction of property valued at less than $500, malicious destruction of property valued at more than $500, a scheme to commit malicious destruction of property valued at more than $500 and trespassing on or damaging school property. Smythers was charged with a scheme to commit malicious destruction of property valued at more than $500 and five counts of malicious destruction of property valued at less than $500.
It doesn't appear that Smythers or Sanders were members of a white supremacy group or any other organized group, according to Diane Richardson, spokeswoman for the sheriff's office.
The investigation into the Feb. 9 vandalism is ongoing.
Anyone with additional information should contact the sheriff's office at 301-609-2222. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS.
