FORT SMITH -- A man has been arrested over the destruction of three statues at a Buddhist temple.
Shawn Michael Israel, 21, of Fort Smith faces a count of first-degree criminal mischief greater than $5,000 but less than $25,000, a Class C felony, according to the Sebastian County sheriff's office inmate inquiry. A court date has been set for May 11.
Fort Smith police were dispatched to Wat Lao Santitham at 4625 Armour St. on April 5 in response to a report of a theft in progress, according to a report provided by department spokesman Aric Mitchell. Officers reported seeing Israel as he destroyed a statue with a hammer, after which they arrested him.
Israel reportedly told authorities that he was commanded by Scripture to destroy the statue, which he referred to as a "false idol." He said several times that he was only following the Ten Commandments and did what God told him to do through Scripture, a report said. Israel had a Bible when he was arrested.
When asked about the hammer, Israel said he used it to destroy the statue, according to police. He went on to say that he had tried to demolish the statue the previous day, April 4, but the tool he was using broke as he used it on the statue's head. He returned on April 5 to smash the body with the hammer, police said.
Two other statues were damaged, as well, according to the report. The damage was listed at about $10,000.
After arriving at the Sebastian County jail, police took pictures of Israel and noticed that he had what appeared to be debris from the statue on his head, the report states. When asked if he understood why he had been arrested, Israel replied that he did not, as he was obeying God's commandment. The report said officers explained that he was arrested because of the destruction of other people's property.
"I am saddened by this apparent act of religious intolerance and am grateful that our officers were able to apprehend the suspect," Police Chief Danny Baker said in a statement.
The incident spurred the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-D.C.-based Muslim civil-rights and advocacy organization, to call on the Arkansas General Assembly to develop and pass a hate-crime law, according to a news release.
"A bias motive for an alleged crime targeting a minority community should be taken into account by the laws of every state," said Ayan Ajeen, the group's national communications coordinator. "Hate crime laws are important because they add an additional level of protection for those who are vulnerable to bias-motivated harassment or intimidation. They are especially important now as hate crimes continue to rise."
SundayMonday on 04/13/2020