Police have identified two men in surveillance photos linked to a noose left hanging at Crofton Middle School.
Authorities said 19-year-old Connor Prout of Crofton and 19-year-old John Haverman of Pasadena were arrested Friday and are facing numerous charges including trespassing, destruction of property and a hate crime.
Anne Arundel County Police Chief Timothy Altomare praised the hard work detectives put into the case. “There is no place in our community for the sentiment communicated by such an act,” said Altomare. He continued, “We will always give 100 percent effort to bring to justice anyone who commits a crime espousing hateful ideology.”
After reviewing surveillance video, detectives were able to determine that early Thursday morning, two suspects gained access to the roof and placed the noose on the light fixture.
Police Spokesman Lt. Ryan Frashure said the surveillance video was key to finding the suspects. Once the pictures were posted on social media, “It seemed like hardly no time at all our detectives started receiving tips on the identification of the two individuals hat were captured on video,” Frashure said.
Thursday morning, a teacher at Crofton Middle School found a noose hanging in front of window of the Anne Arundel County school. The noose was immediately removed by the school custodian.
