Possible Hate Crime Under Investigation in Cold Spring
Hate hit close to home last week when it was discovered a house under construction in Nelsonville was vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti.
The house, which is owned by a Jewish family, was defaced with a swastika and anti-Semitic slur over night on Oct. 30, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. The vandalism comes less than a week after the massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in which a gunman killed 11 people and left more seriously injured.
According to sheriff’s captain Lisa Ortolano, the crime was reported to the sheriff’s office at 8:05 a.m. Wednesday.
“It’s being investigated as a hate crime,” Ortolano said.
If it’s a hate crime, Ortolano said the crime could be elevated from an A misdemeanor to an E felony and if the damage is over $250, it would go from an E felony to a D felony.
Ortolano said the incident seems to be an individual act and there have been no other instances of Jewish people being targeted in the county. She didn’t want to reveal many details until the investigation is concluded and no update was provided before press time Monday.
Office holders of every governmental level strongly condemned the attacks.
Sheriff Robert Langley and Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell, in a joint press release, stated they met regarding the “hateful incident” in Nelsonville.
“We are working together to make sure all resources are being deployed to apprehend those responsible for this heinous and shameful act,” Langley, a Democrat, and Odell, a Republican, stated. “We stand with the good people of this great county who believe hatred and violence against neighbors will not be tolerated in Putnam County.”
Kent Supervisor and candidate for county executive, Maureen Fleming, also weighed in when reached out to by The Putnam Examiner, stating she was sickened by the apparent hate crime. She said the family targeted has given much to the Cold Spring and Nelsonville communities.
“And this is not happening somewhere else—it’s happening right here at home,” Fleming stated. “The rhetoric of hate and exclusion that is consuming our nation must be soundly rejected by people of good will, standing firmly together. That means that we all have to be leaders, shining light into the dark corners of our community and leaving no place for hate to hide.”
Legislator Barbara Scuccimarra, who represents the district where the crime occurred, said in a statement she’s spoken with Langley and Odell about the incident, which she called an “act of hate.”
“A cowardly act, such as this is not part of the fabric of the people we call neighbors, friends and families,” Scuccimarra stated. “Putnam County is a place that has the reputation for welcoming and embracing all who come to live or visit. As a community, I am confident that we will rise and support each other in brining a resolve to this incident and moving forward stronger and even more caring toward one another.”
Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, who resides in neighboring Cold Spring, stated residents would not let these “hateful actions of one or more cowards intimidate…our community.”
“Hate has no home in Cold Spring and the light of good people coming together will expose it,” Maloney said in a statement. “We will find the person or persons who did this, and they will be brought to swift justice.”
