HARPSWELL, Maine — A father and son have been charged in connection with hate speech that was found on a road in Harpswell last month, and more charges could be on the way.
William Deary, 49, and Hayden Deary, 18, both of Harpswell, have each been charged with two counts of class D criminal mischief, the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office said in an updated release Thursday.
Graffiti depicting a swastika and a reference to the Holocaust was reportedly found at the intersection of Stevens Corner Road and Harpswell Islands Road on Jan. 15, the sheriff's office said in a release at the time.
The release said the Harpswell town manager originally brought the vandalism to law enforcement's attention.
The criminal cases against both men are being reviewed by the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office, according to the sheriff's office. The totality of the investigation and circumstances uncovered through the investigation have led the investigating agencies to believe that these cases may rise to the level of civil rights violations, both on the state level and possibly federal, the updated release stated.
"The investigation is also being referred to the Office of the Attorney General for review for a possible Civil Rights case to be brought against both individuals by the Office of the Attorney General," the sheriff's office said.