Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 6, Ed. 1 Friday, June 22, 2012 Page: 8 of 80
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instantTEA
Arlington police arrest 2 suspects
in anti-gay hate crime; 3 others
expected to turn themselves in
Arlington police have arrested two teenagers and
expect three more to turn themselves in after video
footage identified them as suspects in a vandalism
spree June 10 that included anti-gay slurs spray-
painted on a lesbian couple's SUV.
Sgt. Christopher Cook said Wednesday during a
press conference that Fort Worth teen Daniel Sibley,
18, was arrested Tuesday June 19. He was in cus-
tody on a $2,500 bond.
Cook explained that two surveillance cameras on
residences captured several teens spray-painting
derogatory images and words on homes and cars in
a total of 13 incidents. The second video captured
the vehicle information and led to the identification of
five teens ages 16-18.
As of Thursday, only the female juvenile had turned
herself in so far.
All suspects will be charged with the state jail
felony of criminal mischief for damage ranging from
$1,500-$20,000.
The punishment for a state jail felony is 180 days
to two years in jail and up to a $10,000 fine. If the
classification is enhanced by the hate crime statute to
a third-degree felony, the teens could face two to 10
years behind bars in addition to the fine.
A racial slur was spray-painted on a vehicle, but
Cook said it's not being reported as a hate crime be-
cause the man who owned the car was Caucasian.
DallasVoice.com/Category/Instant-Tea
He said based on the statement from Sibley that the
teens saw a sticker on the lesbian couple's SUV —
which featured two female caricatures with a child
and pet — and made an assumption that they were
gay before vandalizing the vehicle.
Acting police Chief Will Johnson said it was clear
that the incident involving the lesbian couple was a
hate crime from early on because the words "queers"
and "faggot" were spray-painted on their SUV
"A crime of hatred is not only a crime against an
individual but it is a crime against the community," he
said. "Early in this investigation it was clear that hate-
ful and biased language was used to damage prop-
erty at multiple locations. It was equally clear that at
least one of our 13 victims was targeted specifically
because of their sexual orientation."
He said the incident would be reported to the FBI
as a hate crime and that authorities would continue
to investigate and prosecute hate crimes in Arlington
in the future.
"We are committed in Arlington to prevent all crime
especially crime that was committed for no other rea-
son than possibly toward hatred," Johnson said.
"This type of behavior will not be tolerated, it will be
fully investigated — and to the fullest extent of the
law prosecuted."
Kim Lovering said she and her partner were
woken up by police early Sunday morning, June 10.
Neighbors had already called police but she said her
family was unaware of the vandalism to their SUV
She said she was grateful her son, not yet 2, was too
young to understand what happened.
CADILLAC OF COLOR | Members of Amarillo's LGBT community recently painted six of the cars at
Cadillac Ranch — a well-known public art installation — in rainbow colors as part of the city's gay Pride
festivities. View more photos at DallasVoice.com. (Photo courtesy OUTstanding Amarillo)
From the police presence to Johnson calling her
later that day to check on her family, Lovering said
she was impressed by the support from the commu-
nity and police.
"They stood behind us," she said. "It was really a
huge relief that something like this was handled the
right way. And I'm glad it's our city."
As for the arrest and suspected capture of the re-
maining suspects, she said it will help her sleep at
night and hopes the teens' arrests will change their
attitudes.
"I'm so thankful for the way this turned out just for
our safety and peace of mind," she said.
Fairness Fort Worth President Tom Anable praised
the police response, calling it a "textbook" example of
how police should respond and engage with the
community.
Anable said anti-gay slurs are "so offensive and
dehumanizing" and "will never go away," adding that
the quick identification and arrest of suspects send
the message that hate crimes won't be tolerated
anymore.
"It's nothing new for us. What is new is having a di-
alogue with law enforcement and the FBI," he said. "I
can't say enough about how well the Arlington Police
Department handled this. ... It is absolutely textbook
perfect."
Anable said his organization has reached out to
the Human Rights Campaign to try to bring national
attention to "how things can go right."
"The citizens of Arlington should take great pride in
their police department and the quality of their city,"
he said. HRC released a statement Wednesday ap-
plauding Arlington PD for "responding swiftly and
thoroughly."
— Anna Waugh
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Wright, John. Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 6, Ed. 1 Friday, June 22, 2012, newspaper, June 22, 2012; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth308872/m1/8/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.