Court documents show more details about what investigators believe happened in a string of vandalism in Muscatine over the weekend and why some of the incidents are charged as hate crimes.
Alisa Rilla Nicols Staats, 30, was arrested Tuesday morning. She faces charges of:
one count of ongoing criminal conduct, a Class B felonyone count of second degree criminal mischief, a Class D felonyone count of a threat of terrorism, a Class D felonyone count of fourth degree criminal mischief as a hate crime, an aggravated misdemeanorseven counts of fifth degree criminal mischief as a hate crime, a simple misdemeanortwo counts of fifth degree criminal mischief as a hate crime, a serious misdemeanorone count of first degree harassment, an aggravated misdemeanor
A hearing for an initial appearance has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Feb. 7 in the Muscatine County Courthouse.
Muscatine police were notified of multiple acts of vandalism that are believed to have taken place throughout the day on Sunday, Jan. 26. Most of the acts involved some sort of graffiti being spray painted on various buildings, one building had a window damaged, while one agency received what appeared to be racist emails.
According to the arrest reports, Staats was seen in the area vandalizing properties. A total of 11 locations have been associated with these crimes: the Guadalajara and Jibaro restaurants, Pete's Tap bar & Grill, Pearl City Tobacco & Liquor, the Merrill Hotel, Muscatine City Hall, Susan Clark Junior High School, Muscatine Community College and properties at 113 Iowa Ave. and 208 W Second St.
The reports say due to religious affiliations and racial motivation, the swastika symbols make several of the vandalisms hate crimes. One report said it is considered a hate crime due to political affiliation, as Mayor Brad Bark owns a building that was vandalized and another building vandalized was Muscatine City Hall.
One report says the Merrill Hotel was vandalized with two swastika symbols. Video footage shows Staats get out of a blue car with no plates and walk toward an employee entrance, one of the areas that was vandalized. Police learned from an assistant manager at the hotel that it is hosting a large group of Chinese students for various events around the Muscatine area. This will be considered a racially motivated hate crime.
At Muscatine Community College, officers located a swastika symbol with a racial slur directed at Black people on a garage door, according to court documents. Four more swastika symbols were located on one of the buildings. MCC spent about $590 in fees as a result of the incident. Video footage showed Staats get out of a blue car with no plates and walk up to the garage with something in her hand.
On Sunday, police responded to Susan Clark Junior High in reference to criminal mischief. The caller described a female in a blue car with no plates. Video footage showed Staats throwing multiple bricks at a window and the camera, causing about $3,266 damage, according to court documents. The vehicle was located at her residence when the search warrant was executed.
The harassment charge stems from an incident when Staats was being transported to the Muscatine County Jail. According to the report, she yelled several things at an officer, including that he was a "pedophile" and "you're dead." She then made threatening statements toward the officer's children.
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