Mosque Vandalism Suspect Busted By…Fargo Walmart?
These days it's getting harder and harder to get away with just about anything! Last weekend, acts of vandalism we're discovered at a mosque in Moorhead, Minnesota. Hate speech and symbols were spray painted all over the building. This inflammatory "art" included a swastika along with phrases like "Death To Islam" and "Go To Hell", as you can see on KVRR News' Facebook page. The community was quick to come together to condemn the action and clean up the damage. One community member would go one step further, she'd deliver the vandalism suspect to area police on a silver platter.
If you're like me and enjoy watching true crime stories, this story should come as no surprise. The best part of the story is the personal initiative taken by a loss prevention worker at a Walmart in neighboring Fargo. Earlier in the week, she saw the vandalism and must have thought to herself- what if he bought that spray paint here at Walmart? Well, quicker than you can say Columbo, she investigated any recent spray paint purchases. Credit her with finding a record of a man buying a can of red spray paint. I'm presuming he paid with a card of some sort to establish his identity. Walmart provided that information, along with store video of the transaction. The jacket the suspect was wearing at the Walmart matched the jacket the vandal wore that was captured on video at the mosque.
Quickly Moorhead police had their suspect in custody, 22 year-old Benjamin Enderle of Moorhead. Authorities are recommending charges of felony harassment and felony criminal damage. I'd recommend that loss prevention officer be put on the team investigating the literal defacing of a stature of Christ at a Fargo church just earlier in the week. Watch video of that here.
Also she could maybe help us out with the case of the stolen antlers at the Bismarck Elks Lodge?
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