Felony Charges Sought for Hate-Crime Graffiti

Police will seek felony charges against two Jewish teenagers arrested for defacing the walls of a Calabasas school with swastikas and white-power slogans, authorities said Monday.

Jewish groups expressed sadness, and police expressed puzzlement, at the crime.

“It’s sad. As Jews, they don’t realize the harm they’ve caused,” said Aaron Levinson, director of the Valley Anti-Defamation League. “They don’t realize this causes emotional pain.”

Barbara Creme, director of family development at the Valley chapter of the Jewish Federation, called the boys “clearly troubled young men” and offered to help them fight hatred.

“It’s a frightening kind of message, especially for young kids,” Creme said.

Neither of the 16-year-olds has a prior criminal record, police said. Each was booked Monday for felony vandalism and misdemeanor hate crimes.

“They both confessed, and they told us they are Jewish,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy J.T. Manwell, in charge of the case. “They said they knew it was a sensitive issue and they knew it would upset people.”

Manwell said the boys said “they thought it would be funny and get a rise out of the community.”

Las Virgenes School District security officials reported the crime Saturday. The boys, whose identities were not disclosed, were arrested late Sunday. Manwell said various tips from the community helped solve the crime quickly.

The boys were released to the custody of their parents Monday afternoon, Manwell said.

Because the boys will be charged as juveniles, Manwell said, their sentences can vary greatly if they’re found guilty. An adult found guilty of the same charges would face up to one year in county jail, he said.

“The wonders of the juvenile system mean the judge can be as creative as he wants,” Manwell said. “It could be community service or probation.”

Administrators at Chaparral Elementary, on the 22600 block of Liberty Bell Drive, had no comment Monday. A female clerk who answered the phone said Principal Mary Sistrunk also had nothing to say regarding the incident.

“There’s no story here,” said the woman, who refused to give her name. “The graffiti has been painted over as if nothing ever happened.”