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SALT LAKE CITY — The walls of two religious schools in Salt Lake City are now tagged with upside down crosses, pentagrams, and anti-religious sayings like “Go Satan”.
Based on the immaturity of the tagging, scrawled in red and black spray paint, and past cases, Salt Lake police detective Greg Wilking said investigators believe the offender could be a teenager, possibly attending a nearby high school.
The words “West High” were also among the various phrases found on the outside walls of Judge Memorial High School and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School.
Because both schools are religious, and the graffiti is distinctly anti-religious, Wilking said the offenders are looking at charges a step above vandalism.
“[Investigators] decided that it would be classified as a possible hate crime.” Wilking said. “It enhances [the charge] by a degree."
As of Wednesday, Wilking said investigators still don’t have so much as a lead, let alone any suspects. The schools are both vacant over the holidays and witnesses scarce. He said typically, a case like this relies heavily on help from the public.
Somebody is going to say something, because often with crimes like this people brag about their crime.
–Greg Wilking, police detective
“Somebody is going to hear someone bragging about it, or posting on Facebook, or laughing about the fact that they did this.” Wilking said. “Somebody is going to say something, because often with crimes like this people brag about their crime.”
Anyone with possible information is asked to call Salt Lake police at 801-799-3000.
Brianna is a reporter and weekend anchor for KSL News Radio. Contact her at: bbodily@ksl.com or on twitter @BriannaBodily
