South Carolina man charged with defacing Charlotte Jewish centers, U.S. attorney says
.jpg "Shown is the Charles R. Jonas Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Charlotte.")
A 24-year-old man from Indian Land, S.C., is accused of defacing buildings in a Charlotte complex used by the Jewish community for religious worship and activities.
Dalton Ray Mullis was arrested Thursday.
“Posting Nazi and lynching symbols on the Jewish Community Center is pure hate and it’s disgusting,” Russ Ferguson, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, said in a statement Friday.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and court records, Mullis defaced multiple buildings on the Jewish Community Center property, including the Charlotte Jewish Day School, the Holocaust memorial and other facilities on Providence Road.
Authorities suspect Mullis placed antisemitic flyers showing hateful symbols such as a noose, a swastika and imagery associated with the German Nazi Party. According to the news release, surveillance footage showed Mullis taping a flyer to the entrance of the Charlotte Jewish Day School.
Court records also allege Mullis posted antisemitic content on social media sites between January and April of this year.
Mullis will remain in federal custody, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.