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The graffiti was discovered on Croton Dam Road under a Taconic State Parkway overpass in Yorktown on Saturday, May 21, according to an announcement from town officials.
The three suspects, who are all from Croton-on-Hudson, were charged with criminal mischief and criminal impersonation, officials said on Wednesday, June 8.
Authorities said one of the teens, whose identity was not released, is 18 years old and was charged as an adult. The other two are juveniles, police said.
A fourth teen suspect is expected to be charged with similar crimes in the coming days, officials said.
Yorktown Police Chief Robert Noble said investigators were able to identify the suspects because they painted the name of an uninvolved peer, hoping that the peer would be blamed for the graffiti.
Police classified the incident as a bias crime, and the Westchester County District Attorney's Office may file additional charges for aggravated harassment, which is a felony, town officials said.
“My hope is that this sends a very clear message to anyone who wants to spread vile, racist hate in our community,” Supervisor Matt Slater said in the announcement. “Our police department and our community will stand up against you every single time. We will pursue you. And we hope, with the assistance of the district attorney’s office, you will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
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