Father, teen son accused of separate hate-motivated incidents in Durham
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A Clarington father and his teenage son are facing mischief charges after police investigated separate hate-motivated incidents targeting Jewish and Muslim communities.
Durham Regional Police said the first incident occurred Jan. 30 at approximately 5:25 p.m. inside a store in Bowmanville.
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According to police, an unknown male entered a Canadian Tire and was observed on security footage placing antisemitic pamphlets in various places throughout the store.
The pamphlets were located by store employees and turned over to police, cops said.
Then on May 24 at approximately 10:30 p.m., officers responded to reports of hate-motivated incidents at a mosque in Orono.
Cops were told that several vehicles were vandalized as well as the front door of the mosque.
On Monday, police said investigators and members of the hate crime unit executed two search warrants at a residence in Orono.
Two males were taken into custody without incident and several items were seized during the execution of the warrant, cops said.
A 34-year-old man was charged with mischief to property and a 14-year-old boy was charged with mischief relating to religious property.
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They were both released on an undertaking.
“We recognize the significant impact these incidents have had on our community, particularly among members of the Jewish and Muslim communities,” police said in a news release.
“Acts that target or instill fear in any group are unacceptable and are taken very seriously. We remain committed to ensuring the safety, dignity, and well-being of everyone in our community. We are working closely with community leaders to provide support and reassurance, and we stand firmly against hate, discrimination, and intolerance in all forms.”
Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact the East Division Criminal Investigations Branch at 1-888-579-1520 at ext. 1600.
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