A Harpswell father and son have pleaded guilty to criminal mischief charges for defacing property in Harpswell, Bath and Brunswick with antisemitic graffiti in January.
Both have also signed consent orders in connection with related civil rights violation charges. The cases were resolved in August and September, and an order on payment of fines was signed in mid-October.
In the criminal mischief case, William Deary, 50, was ordered to serve 90 days in Cumberland County Jail in Portland, and Hayden Deary, 19, was ordered to serve 120 days, according to court documents. However, both were granted one year of administrative release instead of jail time, during which they must adhere to certain conditions, such as avoiding further criminal activity.
In addition, each was ordered to pay $1,125 in restitution to the Brunswick Public Works Department and $125 to Handy Harley the Handy Man in Harpswell.
They must also attend a restorative justice program aimed at addressing the root causes of hate-motivated behavior and discouraging repeat offenses.
The Dearys spray-painted the phrase “Gas Jews” in early January on the roadway at an intersection on Great Island in Harpswell and on the pillars supporting an overpass at Route 1 in Bath, according to the Maine attorney general’s office.
“They spray-painted swastikas on signs at locations along Gurnet Road and on the Cook’s Corner Exit sign in Brunswick,” the release said. “In Bath, the swastika graffiti included the numbers 88 and 14. As defendant Hayden Deary later told the investigating officers, the number ’88’ means ‘Heil Hitler.’”
According to the civil rights complaint, the number 14 also “represents white supremacist and racist ideology.” It stands for “14 words,” which is a reference to a white supremacist slogan.
William Deary told law enforcement he was upset about immigrants moving to the Cook’s Corner area and was angry at Jewish people for promoting the COVID-19 vaccine and sending immigrants “to clean the white race out,” the release said. Hayden Deary indicated that he had been frustrated by “mass immigration.”
The antisemitic messages caused concern among members of a Bath synagogue, leading police to station an armed officer at the synagogue during Hebrew school for added security.
Under the consent orders, William Deary was fined $800, and Hayden Deary was fined $700. Both have agreed not to commit similar crimes in the future.
Failure to comply with the orders would constitute a Class D crime, punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000 for each defendant.
“These words and symbols, defacing public property, are clearly designed to make people in our community feel unwelcome and unsafe,” Attorney General Aaron Frey said in the March release. “This behavior by father and son Deary is shocking and reprehensible.”
