Lebanon Police say they are close to making an arrest in the case of Nazi-themed vandalism discovered in September at several locations downtown. Meanwhile, police in Hartford have just begun investigating a similar act of vandalism at a veterans memorial, though they say they are not aware of any connection between the two cases.
On Sunday, Sept. 13, the last day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, Lebanon Police received the first report of vandalism. Officers later found spray-painted swastikas and a hot pink “Heil Hitler” at five locations, including near the Ledyard Charter School.
About a week later, police announced in a news release that they were seeking two individuals caught on surveillance footage in connection with the vandalism.
Lebanon City Manager Andrew Hosmer said at the time that the vandalism appeared to be an isolated act by juveniles and not an organized effort by a neo-Nazi group, the Valley News previously reported.
Mayor Doug Whittlesey condemned the crime in a Sept. 18 statement, saying, “Hatred, antisemitism, and the use of Nazi symbols have no place in the City.”
In an email Friday, Lebanon Police Chief Phillip Roberts told the Valley News that the investigation is “almost done.”
“We … expect an arrest to be made within the next two weeks,” Roberts said.
“We are currently awaiting the results of a search warrant,” he added.
Roberts declined to provide more information about the suspects or potential charges, “as this remains an active investigation.”
About two months after the first report in Lebanon, on Veterans Day, Hartford police confirmed there “was vandalism in Veterans Park where swastikas were drawn on the monument and visitor kiosk,” Lt. William Furnari said in an email to the Valley News.
The swastika in Hartford appeared to be drawn in black marker.
The Hartford Police Department is investigating the incident as a potential crime of hate-motivated unlawful mischief.
Police have not identified a suspect.
“We are continuing to look for leads,” Furnari said.
He said the department is currently “unaware” of a connection between the Hartford and Lebanon incidents.
In a phone interview, Furnari said the department has also reported the vandalism to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the Windsor County State’s Attorney’s Office as a potential bias incident.
Not all bias incidents rise to the level of criminal charges, Furnari said. In non-criminal cases, the state may still seek civil injunctions or compensatory damages, he said.
In its annual report on hate crimes in Vermont, the Attorney General’s Office describes the bias incident reporting system as “a voluntary program” in which law enforcement agencies “share information with each other regarding bias incidents.” The system also looks for broader support for people harmed by bias incidents, including referrals to the Vermont Human Rights Commission or to community justice and victim services professionals.
The Hartford graffiti was on Veterans Park’s newer monument, which honors Hartford residents who served in the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the post-1975 era. It was dedicated on Memorial Day this year, completing the work of the Hartford Monument Committee.
The park’s other monument, which honors the town’s World War I and World War II veterans and was installed in 2024, was not vandalized.
“We are deeply saddened and appalled that someone would show such blatant disrespect for the veterans honored by these monuments,” Mary Kay Brown, chair of the Hartford Monument Committee, said in an email to the Valley News.
“These memorials were created with tremendous care, dedication, and community support to recognize the men and women of Hartford who answered the call to serve our country, many during times of war,” Brown wrote.
Hartford police are asking anyone with information about the crime to contact Officer Tyler Gibbons at 802-295-9425.
