Man, 59, charged with vandalizing Sudbury Pride flag painting

Charges laid for defacing Pride crosswalk Police in Sudbury have charged a 59-year-old man with mischief after a Pride sidewalk in the city was vandalized.

Acting on tips made by the public, Sudbury police charged a 59-year-old male suspect accused of defacing the Pride flag painting on Minto Street.

Surveillance cameras captured video of an individual throwing a can of white paint on the rainbow flag painted on the road in front of the police headquarters downtown at 6 a.m. Aug. 3.

“It is believed that this incident was motivated by hate and/or bias,” Greater Sudbury Police Service said in a news release Tuesday morning.

“Incidents can be deemed hate/bias-motivated crimes and this is considered during sentencing within the court process.”

A few days after police released images of the suspect, officers received information that the person was frequenting a local establishment.

The man was found at the establishment and through conversation with officers, they determined he was responsible for the vandalism.

He was charged with mischief Monday at his home.

The man was released and is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 30.

Local police said they are “constantly looking for ways to improve its response to hate-motivated incidents. That includes raising awareness of our approach to hate crime investigations.”

“The Greater Sudbury Police Service has zero tolerance for hate-motivated incidents and will thoroughly investigate any filed report,” police said.

“Hate has no place in our communities. We encourage residents to report any incident that is motivated by hate or bias. We appreciate your cooperation in helping to eliminate these types of incidents from our communities.”

Feelings about police laying charges are complicated, director of Fierte Sudbury Pride (FSP) Aspen Groom told CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca.

“As an organization, we feel it is our responsibility to acknowledge the ongoing complexities and challenges surrounding law enforcement and the criminal justice system, while we are also encouraged by the steps the city is taking to enhance the safety of 2S-LGBTQIA+ people,” Groom said.

“FSP holds the belief that through building community connection and care, we can eliminate these intentionally hateful actions, without subjecting people to the knowingly harmful and often ineffective current crime and punishment system.”