Sarasota man faces hate crime charges after Jewish temples were vandalized, cops say
A suspect has been charged with hate crimes for spray-painting anti-Semitic graffiti at Sarasota synagogues, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office announced Friday that Vincent Martinez, 21, of Sarasota, is charged with three counts of criminal mischief by defacing and damaging a synagogue, all of which are classified as felony hate crimes.
“The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office takes hate crimes such as these very seriously,” said Col. Kurt A. Hoffman in a statement. “Our detectives worked tirelessly with help from the community to bring this case to a successful conclusion.”
The sheriff’s office began an investigation on April 2 after local video surveillance captured an unidentified suspect using spray cans to paint swastikas and other anti-semitic imagery at Temple Emanu-El, 151 McIntosh Road, Sarasota.
Detectives believe Martinez is the same suspect who defaced Temple Sinai, 4631 S. Lockwood Ridge Road, and Temple Emanu-El again on July 15.
According to probable cause affidavit, deputies were able to identify Martinez based on video footage from an ATM and cell phone location data.
Martinez is being held at a secure medical facility pending his arrest on warrants issued Wednesday, the sheriff’s office said.
