The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office issued charges on March 13 against suspect Patrick Sloan, 18, of the 9300 block of Lavern Place, 63123, for two counts of second-degree property damage motivated by discrimination – a Class E felony. 

Sloan is being held on a $25,000 cash only, no 10% bond. 

The charges are merely accusations. Sloan is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. 

According to a probable cause statement, two Affton School District buildings – Affton High School and Rogers Middle School – were spray painted with racial slurs, swastikas, threatening messages and other symbols of hate on March 7 and March 12, respectively. More specifically, some of the graffiti read “88” – a white supremacist numerical code for “Heil Hitler” as H is the eighth letter of the alphabet – and “wite power.”

Per charging documents, Sloan “knowingly (vandalized the schools) because of the race and/or religion of students and staff members of the school district.”

One of the incidents was captured on video, allowing Sloan’s family member and multiple other witnesses the chance to identify him. Sloan later admitted to a family member that he was responsible.