Anti-Semitic Graffiti Sprayed On Milton Driveway: Cops

MILTON, GA — A prank among area high school students morphed into a woman's driveway being defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti in Milton, and five of these individuals have been charged in connection to the April 9 incident.

The Milton Police Department said two 17-year-olds, McKenna Blaine and Katherine Stein, and three minors were identified as the perpetrators behind the incident. The five students, the department said, were involved "in what appeared to be related to off-campus, annual senior/junior mischief" when they toilet-papered trees at the home of a resident and left an anti-Semitic message in her driveway using shaving cream.

"We're pleased that our detectives were able to conclude this investigation so quickly to allow some closure for the...family," said Milton Police Chief Rich Austin. "Milton is a tight-knit community and this type of behavior simply cannot be tolerated. Hopefully this will be a learning experience for the students involved."

According to a photo uploaded by the woman on her Facebook page, the message displayed on the driveway read, "F--- You," with the words "Jew" spelled out within the shape of the Star of David.

According to an incident report released by the police department, the resident, who was "crying and obviously very upset," told police that her son attended Milton High School where so-called "junior/senior wars" were underway. She also told police she made the discovery early Monday morning before leaving for work. The last time her driveway was free of graffiti was around 10:45 p.m. Sunday, April 8, the report states.

After the responding officer took photos of the toilet paper and writings, the woman said she was "concerned" about the children at the bus stop seeing the offensive message, so she rinsed the shaving cream from the driveway, the report adds.

Throughout the investigation, Milton police detectives researched all state, local and federal laws it could apply to the incident, and even reached out to the FBI to explore the possibility of filing hate crime charges.

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However, Blaine and Stein were charged Friday, April 13 under the city's ordinance of vandalism and both have pending court dates. The three minors were cited for criminal trespassing through the Department of Juvenile Justice.

"We worked to make sure that these students fully understand the severity of their actions," Milton Police Department spokesperson Capt. Charles Barstow said, adding the students involved "expressed remorse" for their behavior, and some may have even reached out to the family victimized in the incident.

Image via Shutterstock