Vandalism viewed as hate crime

CHENEY – Police department investigators have decided to charge one of the suspects in a Dec. 9-10 vehicle vandalism spree with one count of malicious harassment — Washington state’s version of a hate crime.

The charge stems from vandalism to a silver Subaru parked on Buena Vista Street outside of Garden Manor Apartments where the damage included spray-painting racially-divisive language on both sides of the vehicle. Cheney police Capt. Rick Beghtol said that appeared to be the first of 14 vehicles damaged in various neighborhoods throughout the city that night.

Police subsequently arrested two individuals on Dec. 11 after they exited a townhouse on Blackhawk Lane they had broken into and were staying in. Joseph A. Porter, 19, and a 17-year-old male juvenile were charged with burglary (unlawful entry) and felony malicious mischief.

Two more 17-year-old males were subsequently identified as being involved in the incident, with one arrested on Dec. 16 for felony malicious mischief and the malicious harassment charge. Beghtol said the other 17-year-old came into the police department and provided a statement, saying he did not participate in the destruction but was with the other three for at least part of the time.

In the initial reporting of the incidents, police indicated the owner of the Subaru was white, and at the time of the arrests said that hate crime charges would not be filed as the individual suspected of painting the vehicle was black. Beghtol said that was not the case and that even though both victim and suspect turned out to be white, hate crime charges would be filed because of the violent, derogatory nature of the language used and its effects on the community.

“I would have charged them with a hate crime because that word invokes racial motivation,” Beghtol said

Beghtol added the suspect admitted to damaging the Subaru, but denied race had anything to do with it. Beghtol said skin color would not have factored into the decision to file hate crime charges.

“There would’ve been racial overtones and I would’ve charged them out either way,” he said.

Beghtol said several of the victims, including the woman whose Subaru was destroyed, were college students and without resources to cover the cost of repairs to their vehicles.

The vandalism incident is the second time in 2019 that an individual has been charged with malicious harassment in Cheney. In April a 26-year-old man was charged with a hate crime after harassing a couple at the Dollar Tree Store.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.