FLAGLER BEACH, Fla. — Investigators with The Flagler Beach Police Department are asking for help identifying a man accused of vandalizing three local businesses with hate speech in a span of 24-hours.
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The first vandalism report was taken just before 10 p.m. on Nov. 19. A Flagler Beach police officer was dispatched to the Dollar General at 312 Moody Blvd. by a clerk and a manager at the store who said they were notified by a customer about “graffiti” that was recently tagged on the building.
The responding officer noted the graffiti was written in large black letters on the front of the building that faced Moody Blvd. It was approximately 10 feet long and six to eight feet tall and stated “Jew child murder.”
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The store employees claimed they were outside the store less than two hours earlier and the writing wasn’t there. The responding officer noted that the paint was still wet to the touch when they arrived on scene.
Early the next morning, while officers were gathering surveillance video from the Dollar General Incident, they were approached by another man reporting similar vandalism at a building he owned on Ocean Shore Blvd.
According to an incident report, officers responded and found a message written on the side of the building in silver spray paint saying “JEN MURDER” and “290,000 CHILD KILLERS.” Police say they presume the suspect meant to spell “Jew” rather than “Jen.”
The owner of the building told police the vandalism likely occurred sometime the previous night. Investigators ultimately determined both incidents were committed by the same person at roughly the same time.
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Just before 1 p.m. on Nov. 20, Flagler Beach police officers were called to another report of vandalism at “Bahama Mama’s” on Ocean Shore Blvd. They spoke to the owner who said someone had spray-painted the north side of the building.
Police drove by and saw another spray painted message that said “500,000 Jew Child Killer.”
The responding officer noted it was the third such report in a span of 24-hours.
Investigators were able to gather images of the suspect from security cameras and shared them with the public in an effort to identify him.
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The suspect is described as a man possibly in his 30s or 40s who appears to weigh at least 300 pounds. He appears to be dressed in a black, zip-up hooded sweatshirt worn over a white t-shirt with blue shorts and black and white sneakers that appear to be a pair of Nike Air Monarch IVs.
Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to contact the Flagler Beach Police Department at 386-517-2020.
Tips can also be relayed anonymously to the Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida at 888-277-8477, or online here.
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