JEFFERSON PARK — A Far Northwest Side man who officials said is responsible for anti-LGBTQ vandalism and hate crimes was arrested with help from an online Trump sticker company, authorities said.
Thomas Howard, 62, was arrested last week near his home in Jefferson Park and charged with a hate crime, felony stalking and criminal damage to property, police said.
On six occasions between May and January, Howard vandalized a home near Bryn Mawr and Milwaukee avenues, prosecutors said in court last week. He cut up neighbor’s Pride flag twice; spray painted conservative, far-right slogans on their garage and left hateful messages on their property, prosecutors said, according to CBS2.
The homeowners declined to comment. They previously told Block Club the incidents were caught on their home cameras and were cause for concern, but they were not intimidated.
In the middle of August, video captured a man on the porch as he left a banana with the words “Impeach OBiden and Hack Harris” scribbled in Sharpie, the family previously said.
After Block Club first reported on the incidents in October, neighbors stepped up to help the homeowners beautify their property with messages of love, LGBTQ affirmations and more. Police officers, aldermanic candidates and even Mayor Lori Lightfoot expressed support for the family.
After the news coverage and attention, there were no other attacks on the property until January, the family previously said.
During that incident, Howard left a sticker of a cartoon President Donald Trump urinating on President Joe Biden’s name on the family’s newly painted mural, prosecutors said last week. He also tagged the garage with disparaging language, prosecutors said.
Police traced the sticker to an online seller — for whom Howard was the only local customer, prosecutors said.
“I’ve taken ownership of what I’ve done, and I’m not proud of it,” Howard said as he appeared before Judge Barbara Dawkins, CWB reported.
Howard caused about $4,000 in property damage, prosecutors said.
Howard was held on $80,000 bail and ordered to have no contact with victims or the location of the vandalism, said Tandra Simonton, the State’s Attorney’s Office spokesperson. He was released from jail over the weekend after posting bond, court records show.
Howard is due in court again April 7.
Hate crimes increased in Chicago last year, with 203 reported incidents compared to 109 in 2021, according to the hate crime dashboard.
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