March 28, 2024

Graffiti found at Newton High on Tuesday

Messages appear to be related to Ferguson verdict

Newton High School personnel found out Tuesday that someone had created a mess to clean up.

According to the Newton Police Department, graffiti apparently related to Monday’s Ferguson, Mo. grand jury verdict was painted onto exterior walls at the high school sometime during the overnight hours of either Monday night or Tuesday morning.

Newton Police Chief Jeff Hoebelheinrich said an investigation is still open, and the police are encouraging the public to contact law enforcement with any information that would be helpful.

An announcement was made Monday in Missouri that former police officer Darren Wilson would not go to trial in the well-publicized death of Michael Brown.

No arrests have been made, and no suspects have been brought it for questioning, Hoebelheinrich said on Tuesday afternoon.

“We haven’t pinpointed anyone,” Hoebelheinrich said.

The graffiti, which has been removed, included profanity and phrases such as “justice is dead,” “who are they serving and protecting” and “nation of sheep led by wolves.”

Newton Community School District Superintendent Bob Callaghan said the graffiti was sandblasted off of the building during the day on Tuesday. He said staff believes the graffiti was the work of one individual, and that there is 24-hour video surveillance in place at NHS.

Hoebelheinrich said review of surveillance video can be time-consuming. The crime could have occurred any time between 5 p.m. Monday and about 6:35 a.m. Tuesday, which is when school personnel notified the Newton police.

“Graffiti is definitely not a common occurrence in Newton,” Hoebelheinrich said. “But it’s not unheard of.”

Callaghan sounded disappointed while addressing the incident.

“We encourage young people to express how they feel about world events,” Callaghan said. “But this isn’t the way to do it.”

Hoebelheinrich said anyone with information can contact the Newton police at 641-792-0850, and can remain anonymous. He also encouraged the public to contact school resource officer Brian Foster through the Facebook page called “Newton, IA Police Department SRO.”

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6530 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com