CLEVELAND, Ohio – A suspect accused of spray-painting homes in Orange denies the allegations, and his attorney has called for the village’s mayor to apologize for a rush to judgment.
Ryan Kellogg, 37, of Orange was arrested Sunday after being accused of spray-painting graffiti on two homes in the village. One of the homes had a swastika sprayed on it. Village officials called it a symbol of hate.
Prosecutors initially charged him with ethnic intimidation, resisting arrest, vandalism and criminal damaging or endangering.
Following the arrest, Orange Mayor Judson Kline issued a statement summarizing the official version of the incident and saying officials believe Kellogg acted alone.
Kellogg’s attorney, Michael Goldberg, said in a statement the mayor falsely accused Kellogg and called for Kline to apologize for his “rushed, harmful and unfounded announcement.”
Goldberg’s statement describes Kellogg as a law-abiding citizen and a father of four who has lived in Orange for nine years. The allegations have “unfairly vilified” Kellogg and his family, the statement said.
“While antisemitism in any form is vile and hurtful to everyone in a community, jumping to legal conclusions without a full and complete investigation not only impedes the pursuit of justice but stifles the search for the party or parties actually responsible,” Goldberg’s statement said.
Kline told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer on Thursday that he “absolutely” stands by the police department’s investigation and arrest of Kellogg. Since Kellogg’s arrest, “people in the community have been feeling much more secure,” Kline said.
Earlier this week, Kellogg’s case was bound over to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, where a grand jury will hear the allegations against him and decide whether to indict him.