A 37-year-old man has been charged with five counts of mischief in response to a number of racial slurs and other phrases recently spray painted at five locations across the Sault.
On Oct. 2, 2024, detectives located the accused Jordan Solomon on Edinburgh Street. They were arrested and charged with five counts of mischief under $5,000.
Solomon has not yet been tried on those charges and is considered innocent until proven guilty.
Asked about the lack of hate charges given the nature of some of the messages, Sault Police spokesperson Chelsey Foucher said the incidents did not meet the strict criteria of a hate crime.
"With that being said, if the accused is convicted, we could expect the hateful nature of the mischief to be considered as an aggravating factor in sentencing," she added.
The arrest followed a days-long investigation after several reports of vandalism were received by detectives at five separate locations in the Sault. They include: a concrete barrier outside of Algoma Steel on West Street, the Indigenous Friendship Centre on East Street, the Pride crosswalk on Spring Street, as well as property in the 200-block of Wellington Street West and the 500-block of Queen Street East.
Police say the incidents occurred between 10:40 a.m. and 12:05 p.m on Sept. 28.
Solomon was released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in court on December 2, 2024. He was also wanted on a warrant with the Anishinabek Police Service and was brought back to the Police Services Building to address that warrant.
On Sept. 28, graffiti was found on the Pride crosswalk with the phrase 'Paint it black' in black spray paint. It has since been restored to its original rainbow motif.
That same day, a man was photographed spraying hateful anti-Indigenous message on the concrete barrier outside of Algoma Steel's West Street entrance.