New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella has filed Civil Rights Act complaint against a man accused of vandalizing a Jewish temple in Portsmouth this April, an act which allegedly involved the smashing of two antique lanterns with a hammer.
The Portsmouth Police Department launched an investigation into the vandalism incident on April 9, which resulted in the arrest of 31-year-old Kevin O’Leary of Portsmouth on charges of criminal mischief and hate-motivated criminal mischief.
Police said the incident, which occurred on the night of April 8 at Temple Israel in downtown Portsmouth, was a “targeted case of vandalism.”
Temple Israel Rabba Kaya Stern-Kaufman said in a statement following the vandalism incident that the perpetrator “intentionally smashed two antique light sconces” that displayed Stars of David on stained-glass panels.
“These light fixtures have stained-glass panels on three sides that feature a Jewish star design,” Stern-Kaufman said. “The perpetrator struck the glass directly on the Stars of David in a deliberate desecration of our sacred space and a bigoted attack on our faith community.”
According to Stern-Kaufman, the light sconces were installed in 1921 and “represent the legacy of generations of Jews who have worshiped” at the temple, which was founded in 1912.
In Attorney General Formella’s civil rights complaint, it is alleged that on April 8, O’Leary approached Temple Israel and smashed the two decorative lanterns with a hammer.
“Each lantern contained stained glass that depicted the Star of David, a symbol of the Jewish community and a symbol displayed on the flag of the State of Israel,” the New Hampshire Department of Justice stated. “Mr. O’Leary came to Temple Israel prepared and planning to destroy the lanterns.”
The complaint, announced on Friday, includes a request for a preliminary restraining order against O’Leary.
The alleged vandalism of each lantern constitutes two separate acts of property damage, and is therefore being treated by Formella as two violations of the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act, according to the complaint.
Each violation of the Civil Rights Act allows for a maximum civil penalty of $5,000.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="30256 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=30256">5 Comments
Democratic scum. Doing the work of Lucifer. He should pay restitution for this crime.
So what are this creeps pronouns ?
It doesn’t look like a productive member of society to me .
More human refuse to feed and house .
WTH is it? Obviously the bottom of the gene pool.
That picture is me infidel. It puts the lotion on it’s skin and enjoys it.
It puts the lotion in the basket or else it gets the hose again!
Please tell me they checked his property for secret rooms, underground bomb shelters, and hidden crawl spaces.