Authorities charge man accused of spray-painting swastikas on graves

The swastikas in Sunset Hill Cemetery are disappearing and charges have been filed against the man police believe painted them.

Timothy V. McLean, 34, of Glen Carbon has been charged with four counts of hate crime, three counts of institutional vandalism, one count of violating the Cemetery Protection Act, and 14 counts of criminal damage to property. These charges stem from both the Glen Carbon cemetery vandalism as well as the Edwardsville neighborhood vandalism, both cases involving spray-painted swastikas on homes, graves and other property.

McLean was arrested within 24 hours of the discovery of hundreds of swastikas painted on graves in Sunset Hill, as well as homes and vehicles in a nearby neighborhood. He was still in custody Tuesday afternoon on two separate orders of $100,000 bail apiece for the Glen Carbon cases and another $100,000 bail for the Edwardsville cases, according to a news release.

The cemetery vandalism gained national attention, coming only days before Memorial Day services at the cemetery. The Anti-Defamation League issued a statement welcoming prosecution of the incident as a hate crime, and expressing hope that the families’ pain would be calmed by the arrest.

“The swastika is a universal calling card of hate, which is why it was so disturbing to see hundreds of them spraypainted on headstones,” said regional director Karen Aroesty. “This unconscionable attack, while not targeting a Jewish cemetery, is starkly reminiscent of similar attacks against Jews in American and Europe, and we hope the authorities will consider a strong penalty that will send a message that this type of attack is unacceptable in society.”

No statement has been made about a possible motive or further details on his charges. Property records indicate McLean lives with his parents in a cul-de-sac near Sunset Hill Cemetery.

McLean has a criminal record in both St. Clair and Madison counties. He's been previously arrested on suspicion of theft, harassment, property damage and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The swastikas were discovered Saturday morning, and scores of families drove to the cemetery to check on the graves of loved ones. Lt. Wayne White with the Glen Carbon Police Department said their investigation was quick thanks to cooperation between law enforcement agencies and with residents, but he said the surveillance video was "instrumental" in their investigation.

Jeanne Brunett, family service manager at Sunset Hill, said they had two teams of groundskeepers using power washers and chemical solutions to clean off the gravestones throughout the weekend.

But there are still “ghosts” of the swastikas remaining on some graves, and there will be another round of cleanups to ensure all traces are removed, she said.

“It was very heartfelt,” Brunett said. “We all took a step back to really realize what happened. But after that, it was more or less coming together as a team.”

In addition, Brunett said, they were deluged with offers of volunteers from Edwardsville, Glen Carbon and surrounding towns, asking, “What can we do to help?” Food and flowers were donated by local businesses, and there were actually more volunteers than the cemetery could provide with equipment, Brunett said.

“It was people caring about our community,” she said. “Their calls, their caring, meant a lot to us.”

Gov. Bruce Rauner posted about it on Facebook, saying there is no room for intolerance in our state or society.

“This symbol, so indignantly placed, must steel our resolve to never let the evil it represents rise again,” he wrote. He thanked the volunteers who worked to clean the markers. “If only we could erase the prejudice that is behind such desecration.”

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This story was originally published May 29, 2018 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Authorities charge man accused of spray-painting swastikas on graves."