Police charged a man on Friday that they suspect used a hammer to damage two decorative lanterns outside the Temple Israel in Portsmouth, N.H., on April 8. The damage to each lantern has resulted in a separate indictment.
John M. Formella, the state’s attorney general, announced charges that Kevin O’Leary, 31, had broken the lights at the Conservative synagogue, violating the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act. The lanterns contained Star of David artwork in stained glass.
O’Leary faces as much as $10,000 in fines and three years in prison. Prosecutors have asked for a restraining order against him.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, signed a bill earlier this month implementing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism as the state’s guide for assessing hate crimes.
