Bethlehem police are investigating a spree of offensive vandalism that occurred overnight Friday, May 22, into the early morning of Saturday, May 23.
Well over a dozen homes surrounding the Hamagrael Elementary School building, and the school itself, on McGuffey Lane and Wisconsin Avenue were found spray-painted with hateful messages, expletives, penises and swastikas.
Police told The Spotlight on Friday, May 29, that the case is under investigation. It isn’t being treated as a hate crime, but that could change. Police say they are handing the matter seriously.
The vandals face charges of felony fourth-degree grand larceny, because the property damage exceeds $1,000; fourth-degree criminal mischief, a misdemeanor; possession of a graffiti instrument, a misdemeanor; and trespassing, a violation. More charges may follow as the case progresses.
One home had [expletive] U sprayed on its left-side garage door and a red line across the right-side door, the report states. The vehicle parked outside of the home also had an expletive written on its front windshield.
A few houses down, a garage down had `supercalifragilisticexpialopolous,` sprayed onto it. At the end of the driveway, a German swastika was sprayed onto a landscaping rock near the mailbox.
A home on Wisconsin Avenue had a vehicle in the driveway sprayed with an `X` on its rear windshield. Police said the owner told them he hadn’t heard anything during the night but that his Sirius car radio had been taken from the vehicle.
Another McGuffey home had `No gays` and a homosexual slur sprayed onto the building and officers discovered a beer bottle on the front lawn, which they secured as evidence for possible fingerprints. The owner told officers that the bottle had not been on the lawn the day before.
One vehicle had its driver’s side door window `completely painted over` with red spray paint, the report states. There were also license plates that were sprayed painted over in red at some of the homes.
Although some of the messages were more innocuous, such as the smiley face and `MO` spray-painted onto one McGuffey home, one home had a message written on its garage door that read `You are a [expletive].` On the side of the same home, a homosexual slur was spray painted next to another German swastika. A penis was drawn across the garage doors of another nearby home, according to police reports.
Bethlehem police said they found a number of penises drawn onto the elementary school along with the word `Giles` on the side of the building. With the assistance of a school maintenance worker, officers also discovered a can of red spray paint on the roof of the school, which they believe was used in the crimes.
Property damage estimates are still coming in from homeowners in the area, according to police, but they have listed a preliminary damage report of $2,900. The Bethlehem Police Department has its youth bureau working on the investigation and is working with the Bethlehem School District and its resource officers.
Police are asking anyone with information regarding the vandalism to call 439-9973.“