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<< Previous   of   Next >> Arlington police  (click to enlarge) A racial slur and a swastika were spray-painted sometime Sunday on a home under construction in Arlington.   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • More swastikas hit Mill Creek 10/4/07   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 Family's dream house defaced with swastika, racial slur By Jackson Holtz Herald Writer ARLINGTON -- For the second time in two weeks, a Snohomish County family has been targeted by hateful graffiti. A swastika and a racial slur were spray-painted sometime Sunday on a home under construction in the 9200 block of 196th Place NE, Arlington police spokeswoman Kristin Banfield said. The graffiti has left the homeowner shaken. "I'm disgusted that there are other human beings that treat human beings this way," Tim Dehnhoff, 47, said. He found the vandalism when he went to check Monday on the progress of the construction of his family's dream home. "What did I see on my new house but the word 'nigger' and right next to it a swastika," he said. "It doesn't play well with me. I have hard a time understanding it." The general contractor's son, the job superintendent, is mixed race, including black, he said. "I do believe it is a hate crime. I don't believe it's a random thing," Dehnhoff said. "They were sending a message." Arlington police are investigating. It is too early to call it a hate crime until the motive is determined, Banfield said. Right now police are classifying it malicious mischief. "We just started the investigation," she said. "We're obviously very disturbed by it, very concerned." Arlington police had been to the construction site two weeks ago to investigate the theft of construction equipment, Banfield said. It's not yet clear if there is a connection. "The addition of the racial slurs with the swastika makes us very concerned," Banfield said. The contractor, Patrick Lewis, said he's now concerned for the safety of his 21-year-old son. Police have promised additional patrols and the contractor is considering enhanced security at the job site, Lewis said. "My feeling is someone is watching, someone around this is watching," he said. "This isn't random. This is a hate crime. It's upsetting." Last week, Mill Creek police began investigating several swastikas painted onto cars parked in front of a Jewish family's home. No arrests have been made but detectives continue to work the case, said Steve Winters, a Mill Creek police spokesman. Arlington police are in contact with Mill Creek police and the Snohomish County sheriff's detectives, Banfield said. The mere appearance of racism, however, raises the specter of past incidents in the county. In 2004, two white 16-year-old cousins pleaded guilty to burning a cross on a black pastor's lawn in Arlington. Also that year, minority students at schools in Arlington and Monroe reported other students had waved nooses to intimidate them. Dehnhoff, whose family is part American Indian, hopes to move in to his new home by the end of the year. The graffiti has taken away some of the joy of a new home, he said. "I'm disgusted and I'm afraid," Dehnhoff said. "It's our dream house. We go to church there in Arlington. I want to feel safe and welcome and I don't feel safe and welcome." Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.

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