South Carolina Man Faces Hate Crime Charges for Defacing Jewish Center with Nazi Symbols
The Jewish community in Charlotte, North Carolina, was rattled by an alleged act of hate that led to federal charges. A South Carolina resident, Dalton Ray Mullis, 24, stands accused of desecrating buildings in Shalom Park with offensive Nazi imagery and threats, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Mullis, hailing from Indian Land, South Carolina, was taken into custody on Thursday and subsequently made a court appearance on Friday. Authorities confirmed that Mullis remains detained.
U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson emphasized the gravity of the incident, stating, “Posting Nazi and lynching symbols on the Jewish Community Center is pure hate and it’s disgusting. This is America, which was founded on the free exercise of religion and people ought to be free to worship without being threatened.”
The indictment outlines that Mullis targeted key locations within Shalom Park, including the Holocaust memorial and Charlotte Jewish Day School, by affixing flyers displaying a noose, a swastika, and a Totenkopf, a symbol with historical ties to the Nazi regime and SS.
Following the incident in January, Mullis allegedly continued his antisemitic activities on social media. One post featured an image of the flyer placed at Shalom Park with a caption that read, “Oops…one of our members left something at a Jewish community center!” The post was geotagged to Charlotte.
In response to the situation, the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte conveyed its concerns in a Friday message, highlighting the emotional impact on the community. “For many in our community, the presence of antisemitic symbols on a campus that serves Jewish children, families, and organizations was deeply painful and disturbing. While the materials were removed quickly, their impact on many members of our community lasted far longer,” the group stated.
