EASTON, Md. - The Easton Police Department has charged an Easton woman with four counts of malicious destruction of property and four counts of use of hate symbol, among other charges, on Sept. 5.
Officers were called to Saints Peter and Paul Elementary School in Easton around 8 a.m. Friday morning and shown areas of the school property where they say the international transgender symbol was spray-painted. Police say this symbol was also found on a fence at the Hampton Inn, two nearby stop signs and an outside wall of a building along Dover and Higgins streets.
Police say that later that same day, officers say they found more of the same graffiti on Park Street at Dover Road and Point Lane, Kemp Lane at Dover Road, and at J & K Wine and Liquors. Investigators obtained a picture of the suspect, who was covering her face.
Later Friday night, around 10:30 p.m., officers were called to Ulta Beauty in Easton, as well, for a person spray-painting the ground nearby. An Easton police officer saw a suspect matching the description in the call as well as from the photo earlier in the day near the Talbot Town Shopping Center, where the suspect was then identified as 32-year-old Sian Radaskiewicz-King of Easton.
Police say Radaskiewicz-King was wearing a pair of distinctive shoes that matched the suspect in the surveillance video. She was then arrested.
Saturday, Easton police say they executed a search and seizure warrant on Radaskiewicz-King's home. She was arrested again and charged with defacing religious property, malicious destruction of property, disturbing school operations and trespassing on posted property.
According to the Easton Police Department, there has been no discovery of information or evidence threatening harm towards members of Saints Peter and Paul or the community.
Though police have charged the suspect for use of a hate symbol, the transgender symbol itself is not classified as a hate symbol by organizations that track extremist imagery, including the Anti-Defamation League and the FBI. According to Maryland law, use of a hate symbol is constituted by the intent to threaten or intimidate any person or group of persons.