Third Student Arrested in Racist Graffiti Case
Police arrested a third Simi Valley High School senior Wednesday in connection with two episodes of racist graffiti spray-painted last month on school property, said Lt. Robert Klamser.
Two 16-year-old juniors were arrested Tuesday in connection with the incidents reported by school employees on Oct. 3 and Oct. 19.
All three students--described by police as having white-supremacist sympathies but no apparent ties to any gangs or organizations--have been charged with two counts each of misdemeanor vandalism.
Jason Hall, 18, of Emory Avenue in Simi Valley was arrested Wednesday. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Simi Valley Municipal Court on Jan. 9, said Klamser. If convicted, Klamser said, Hall would face a maximum penalty of one year in the Ventura County Jail and a $5,000 fine for each count.
The cases of the other students, who are juveniles, were referred to the Ventura County probation department for review, Klamser said.
Both incidents left swastikas and racist slogans on the school’s tennis courts, among other property, and caused an estimated $3,000 damage, according to police and school officials.
No further arrests are anticipated in the high school case, which bears no apparent connection to four other “hate crimes” reported in the city since May, Klamser said.
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