Sign Vandalism Investigated As Hate Crime
Posted: 8:11 am PDT June 10,2005Updated: 8:15 am PDT June 10,2005
ARLINGTON, Wash. -- The vandalism of Indian casino signs near Arlington is being investigated as a hate crime, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reported.
Four signs owned by the Stillaguamish Tribe were torn down and defaced at their salmon hatchery on Wednesday.When tribal police saw what was written on one of the signs, they began investigating the case as a hate crime.Someone defaced signs for the Stillaguamish Casino, removing the C and the O from the word "casino" so that it said "Stillaguamish Sin."One the back of one of the signs, the vandal drew pictures of Indians and wrote a joke about an Indian."When you add the racial element to property damage, you've now turned (the case) into a malicious harassment, which is a class C felony in the state of Washington," said Chief Felix Moran of Stillaguamish Tribal Police.The tribe has called in the FBI and the Snohomish County Sheriff's Department to investigate.They are offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.
Four signs owned by the Stillaguamish Tribe were torn down and defaced at their salmon hatchery on Wednesday.When tribal police saw what was written on one of the signs, they began investigating the case as a hate crime.Someone defaced signs for the Stillaguamish Casino, removing the C and the O from the word "casino" so that it said "Stillaguamish Sin."One the back of one of the signs, the vandal drew pictures of Indians and wrote a joke about an Indian."When you add the racial element to property damage, you've now turned (the case) into a malicious harassment, which is a class C felony in the state of Washington," said Chief Felix Moran of Stillaguamish Tribal Police.The tribe has called in the FBI and the Snohomish County Sheriff's Department to investigate.They are offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. Copyright 2005 by KIROTV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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