MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis man has been arrested and charged with vandalizing the First Korean Baptist Church, and prosecutors said they will contend the vandalism was a hate crime.
Adrian Stanton Luce, 22, was arraigned in a Hennepin County courthouse Jan. 25 on felony charges that he painted racial epithets and a swastika last November on a church van and the doors and walls of the sanctuary owned by the Korean Southern Baptist congregation. If convicted, Luce would face a maximum of five years in prison.
“This was a crime that shocked and deeply disturbed our community,” said Amy Klobuchar, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office. “Given the highly offensive nature of the vandalism, we will be arguing that this is a hate crime, and we want a tougher penalty.”
Despite pleas from the district attorney’s office, Luce was released Jan. 25 in lieu of a $15,000 bond. His next scheduled court appearance is in March.
The 150 members of the congregation weren’t the only ones shocked by the crime. The Jewish Community Relations Council stepped in and started a community-wide effort to help the church repair damages.
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