Rcmp Arrest Suspect in Vandalism Spree

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested a suspect last week in Red Deer, Alberta — the town where the trial of anti-Semitic teacher Jim Keegstra was held last summer — following a spate of vandalism during which nine area churches and public buildings were daubed with Stars of David with the word “Jew” painted on them.

The suspect arrested in connection with the vandalism was 37-year-old Delvin Dwain Carpenter, who pleaded guilty to 17 counts of micshief. He was released two days after his arrest on $1,000 bail posted by his father. The trial is set for Feb. 21.

Carpenter, who has a history of mental problems, was a frequent spectator at the Keegstra trial. In a letter to the Red Deer Advocate, the town’s only newspaper, he wrote, “I hate the Jews. I hate Satan and I will destroy the planet and every living soul before I see one Jew or one son of Satan saved. Every human being has Satan’s mark and the mark of the Jew upon them.” The letter denounced Pope John Paul II, charging he is a Jew.

The buildings daubed included two Catholic churches, the court house where the Keegstra trial took place, the library, local provincial government offices, and the newspaper. There are no synagogues in the area.

At the bail hearing, the court was told that Carpenter had checked himself into a mental institution 65 miles away, and had checked himself out two weeks later. The suspect’s father, Ron Carpenter, said he did not agree with his son’s release, adding that he should have been placed under treatment immediately. He put up the bail, he said, since it was his son’s money and young Carpenter had requested it.