An 18-year-old individual from Portsmouth has voluntarily surrendered to the police in response to criminal charges related to hate-motivated graffiti, as confirmed by authorities on Friday.
Loren Faulkner, the accused, was taken into custody on Thursday on 31 counts of criminal mischief and hate-motivated criminal mischief for a series of graffiti incidents that occurred in February 2023. The graffiti targeted religious buildings and various communities, according to the police statement. Faulkner has been released on bail and is scheduled for arraignment in June. It is currently unknown whether he has legal representation, as no contact information was available under his name.
Notably, last year, Attorney General John Formella had filed a civil complaint against Faulkner when he was 17 years old. The complaint alleged that the teenager had specifically targeted businesses, residences, places of worship, and other establishments that either supported the LGBTQ+ community, practiced religions different from his own beliefs, or were associated with individuals of diverse races. In March, it was announced that Faulkner would be required to pay a fine and complete 200 hours of community service to settle accusations of violating New Hampshire’s Civil Rights Act on 21 occasions. These violations included engaging in an antisemitic, homophobic, and racist vandalism spree that resulted in damage to multiple properties across the city.
The acts of vandalism committed by Faulkner involved the destruction of rainbow LGBTQ+ pride flags, the spray-painting of swastikas and crosses on Temple Israel, the defacement of Jewish Stars of David on St. John’s Episcopal Church, the vandalization of a Black Heritage Trail sign at the church, and the destruction or defacement of signs and murals expressing support for diversity and the Black Lives Matter movement.
