An Ohio woman was arrested for spray-painting obscene racial slurs and swastikas on her neighbor's house in Toledo over the weekend.
Patricia Edelen, 47, graffitied "Hail Trump," the n-word and a swastika on the front of her neighbor's house with white spray paint the night of July 13. Authorities arrested Edelen the following evening, after another neighbor's surveillance camera caught her committing vandalism.
According to the Toledo Blade, Edelen was charged with criminal mischief, ethnic intimidation and criminally damaging property, all misdemeanors. The incident occurred hours before the town's annual African-American parade.
Police Sergeant Paul Davis said Edelen attempted to evade arrest when Toledo police arrived at her home. "The officers were forced to make forced entry into her residence and took her into custody without further incident," said Davis. "She had multiple warrants. She ran from the officers inside her residence."
The other neighbor, identified only as "Chris," whose security cameras caught the incident, told ABC-13 that Edelen caused trouble in the neighborhood often. Chris also revealed that he purchased the surveillance equipment and installed it around his house specifically for protection against Edelen's behavior.
On Saturday morning, residents nearby told Monica Davis, a real estate agent selling the property, that the house had been defaced. "I knew it was this when the neighbor said he couldn't tell me," Davis said. "He was so distraught he couldn't tell me what it was. He said, 'I'd just rather send you a picture.' But I knew what it was. I said, 'You don't have to send it to me.'"
Davis arrived on the scene later that morning and live-streamed a video of the vandalism to Facebook. Shortly afterward, area residents rallied together at the property with power hoses to remove the offensive graffiti.
Toledo councilwoman Yvonne Harper visited the property in the afternoon to offer her assistance. "To see something like this up close and personal… I mean, my God, this is Toledo, Ohio," she said.
After seeing the racial slurs, Harper called Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, and a police squad and a detective arrived on the scene within minutes. Kapszukiewicz said it was heartwarming to see the community come together in solidarity to fight the "heartbreaking" crime. "That something terrible and hateful happens, and that the neighbors of that community decide to come together and send a stronger message of solidarity and love... that warms my heart," he said.
Newsweek has reached out to Davis for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
