Arrest made in 2018’s Northshore synagogue desecration
By ALAN SMASON, Special to the CCJN
An arrest was made yesterday, March 10, 2020, of a Jefferson Parish man, whom authorities claim was allegedly responsible for the anti-Semitic graffiti attack at the Northshore Jewish Congregation on September 5, 2018.
The suspect in the graffiti desecration of the Northshore Jewish Congregation identified as Caine Z. Brown. (Photo from Mandeville Police Department)
The arrest of 20-year-old Caine Zander Brown was made by a State Trooper at the suspect’s home on Rio Vista Street in Jefferson, LA. According to reports, it reflects the culmination of more than a year’s work by multiple law enforcement agencies led by the Mandeville Police Department and coordinated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).
Brown was arrested and charged with one count of RS 14:56.3 – Criminal Damage to Property by Defacing with Graffiti and one count of RS 14:107.2- Hate Crimes, both of which are felonies.
The arrest was conducted by the Louisiana State Police Criminal Intelligence Unit along with members of the JTTF including detectives from the Mandeville Police Department. .
“The Mandeville Police Department and I stand with our Jewish community,” announced Mandeville Police Chief Gerard Sticker. “I am pleased that I can finally report to them that we have the individual that we believe is responsible for this despicable attack. I am appreciative of the tenacity of our investigators and I am grateful for the cooperation of the law enforcement community that made this arrest possible.”
Sticker added that crime, but especially hate crimes “will be pursued, no matter the obstacles.”
The vandalism of the outside of the Mandeville synagogue occurred just weeks before the single worst anti-Semitic attack in American history, the mass shooting at the Tree of Life /L’Or Simcha Synaogue in Pittsburgh. The united response from both the North and South shore communities and from across the area’s political and religious spectrum was impressive at the time and showed unfailing solidarity against hate in general and anti-Semitism specifically..
“This type of behind the scenes cooperation is critical to achieve outcomes like the arrest we saw yesterday,” said Aaron Ahlquist, Anti-Defamation League (ADL) regional director. “It is both remarkable and reassuring that multiple agencies committed themselves to addressing this hate crime. In doing so, the Jewish community feels safer, and law enforcement has sent a clear message to others who would viciously attack any vulnerable community.”
Northshore Jewish Congregation spray painted on September 5, 2018. (Photo courtesy Mandeville Police Department)
In addition to the ADL, Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans CEO and president Arnie Fielkow added his own comments.
“We are deeply appreciative that law enforcement never gave up on the pursuit of justice,” Fielkow said. “Only by standing up and confronting hate can we ever defeat bigotry.”
Brown, who was initially brought to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff Department’s holding facility, was transferred on Wednesday to the Mandeville Police Department Jail in St. Tammany Parish.
A source has indicated federal authorities will not charge Brown with federal hate crime charges for the same incident.
(This is a developing story and will be updated by the CCJN as more details emerge.)
