Jefferson Park man charged with hate crime, accused of homophobic vandalism
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Hate crime charges have been filed against a Jefferson Park man accused of damaging a neighbor's home.
Thomas Howard, 62, was arrested on Tuesday in the 5100 block of North Milwaukee Avenue and stands charged with a hate crime, felony stalking, and criminal damage to property.
At a bond hearing, prosecutors from the Cook County State's Attorney's office said the victims – identified by police as a 41-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man – are members of the LGBTQ community and own a home together in the 5700 block of North Mason Avenue. Howard lived nearby on the same street, police said.
Four different times, Howard vandalized the victims' home – damaging the property in a way that is homophobic in nature, prosecutors said. He was caught on the couple's security camera doing so, prosecutors said.
Two different times, Howard went to the victims' home and cut their pride flag in half – keeping one side of it, prosecutors said.
On another occasion, Howard sprayed the pride flag with industrial paint using a Super Soaker squirt gun, prosecutors said.
Most recently, Howard left a sticker of a cartoon President Donald Trump urinating on President Joe Biden's name – likely modeled after the "peeing Calvin" decal – on the couple's mural on which they worked with other LGBTQ members of the community, prosecutors said.
Howard caused $4,000 worth of property damage, prosecutors said.
Through an internet search, police traced the sticker to an online seller who was the only seller creating such a sticker – and for whom Howard was the only customer.
Police also used a traffic camera to discover what car Howard drove, learning he worked for Peoples Gas and had access to industrial paint at work, prosecutors said.
Howard also had a list of complaints at work where he had inappropriate political conversations, prosecutors said.
He was not on the job when he damaged the couple's property, prosecutors said.
Howard's bond was set at $80,000. He is due back in court Friday, April 7, in West Felony Court (Br. 44).
