Earlier this yr, a social media account began documenting the mysterious and alarming look of spray-painted swastikas round downtown Ventura.
However the account was not run by Samaritan attempting to attract consideration to a hate crime, authorities later decided. It was as a substitute the handiwork of a convicted rapist who was committing the vandalism himself, then posting photographs on-line in an effort to sow worry, in keeping with the Ventura Police Division and the county district lawyer’s workplace.
John Williams, 32, of Ventura admitted this week that he had vandalized private and non-private property with swastikas. Williams was convicted of forcible rape in 2019 and was on parole on the time of the crimes, in keeping with courtroom information.
John Williams pleaded responsible to 6 felony counts and three misdemeanors in reference to vandalism involving swastikas on private and non-private property.
(Ventura County district lawyer’s workplace)
He was arrested on March 30 and initially pleaded not responsible, however withdrew that plea Tuesday as a part of a plea cut price, prosecutors mentioned.
He has now pleaded responsible to 3 felony counts of vandalism for harm exceeding $400, three felony hate crime counts, two misdemeanor counts of vandalism and one misdemeanor rely of possession of a stun gun by a convicted felon, prosecutors mentioned. He stays in custody in lieu of $250,000 bail and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 17.
“Symbols of hate just like the swastika are usually not merely relics of historical past, they continue to be harmful reminders of violence and intolerance,” Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Hayley Moyer mentioned in a press release. “Our neighborhood won’t tolerate acts that glorify Nazism or unfold worry, and we’ll maintain offenders accountable.”
Williams additionally admitted to particular allegations of committing the crimes whereas on parole and having a previous strike conviction, prosecutors mentioned. He has a historical past of parole violations and was booked into Ventura County Jail on a parole maintain 10 days earlier than his latest vandalism arrest, in keeping with the county’s inmate log.
Ventura police started investigating the hate crimes on March 30 after receiving a name from a downtown enterprise that somebody had spray-painted a swastika and “VC Satisfaction” on a wall of its property, prosecutors mentioned. The identical day, police acquired 4 extra reviews of swastika graffiti discovered on private and non-private properties in Ventura.
Officers shortly recognized Williams as their suspect utilizing surveillance video at two of the vandalized places. Officers decided he had been documenting graffiti and posting photographs on social media “in an effort to present the looks that different folks had been committing hate crimes and spreading worry,” in keeping with the Ventura Police Division.
Antisemitic incidents have soared within the U.S. after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas battle in October 2023.
The Anti-Defamation League reported 9,354 antisemitic incidents throughout america in 2024 — a 344% enhance during the last 5 years and the very best quantity for the reason that group began monitoring incidents in 1979.
L.A. County noticed a 91% enhance in anti-Jewish hate crimes from 2022 to 2023, the most recent yr for which knowledge can be found.
