Three people have been arrested on more than 100 charges each, accused of distributing pamphlets bearing hate symbols at a synagogue, a Black church and other locations in Hornell, New York, police said.
Aubrey Dragonetti, 31, Dylan Henry, 30, and Ryan Mulhollen, 27, were each charged with 115 counts of aggravated harassment, the Hornell Police Department said in a news release Monday.
Hornell is a small city in southern New York, which has a population of 8,300, according to the latest U.S. Census figures.
On July 9 and 10, police investigated pamphlets and stickers containing swastikas and racial slurs left at the houses of worship and public and private properties throughout the city, officials said.
A leaflet bearing the words “Aryan National Army” was found at Rehoboth Deliverance Ministries, which has a predominantly Black congregation. The same kind of literature was found at the front of Temple Beth-El Synagogue, The Evening Tribune, the newspaper in Hornell, reported.
Aryan Nations “is one of the country’s best-known enclaves of anti-Semitism and white nationalism,” according to the Anti-Defamation League.
A warrant, in conjunction with New York State Police, was conducted in the 130 block of River Street, police said, leading to the trio’s arrest.
“During the search evidence was located which depicted the crimes of Aggravated Harassment 1st, a Class E Felony,” the police department said in the release.
The charge, under New York law, is defined as “with intent to harass, annoy, threaten or alarm another person,” due to “such person’s race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, religion.” The charge description also includes depictions of swastikas and nooses as symbols of intimidation.
NBC News has reached out to the police department for further comment on the arrests.
The suspects appeared in Steuben County centralized arraignment court Monday, The Evening Tribune reported. Lawyer information for the three was not immediately available.
Dragonetti and Mulhollen were jailed in Steuben County Jail and later released. Henry remains in custody, jail records show.
Hornell Mayor John J. Buckley said he was “absolutely shocked and appalled by the actions and behavior of these three individuals.”
“The City of Hornell is a very close knit, welcoming and accepting community and there is absolutely no room for this type of hate or any other here,” he said. “These are three misguided individuals who have hate in their hearts. This is something that is not reflective of Hornell.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
