BY ELLEN BILTZ
Four teenage boys have been convicted of felony vandalism for scrawling racial slurs and destroying walls at a Spotsylvania County home under construction.
Last April, Bridgette Williams came to visit the new house she would soon move in to.
But she was shocked to find a picture of a black man hanging by a rope and the words "Slave 4 Sale. Buy 1 get 1 free."
The vandals, three 15-year-olds and one 14-year-old, were all convicted in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, said Commonwealth's Attorney Bill Neely.
Yesterday, the final teen was sentenced to the same thing as his fellow vandals, supervised probation.
A $5,000 restitution was also ordered to the construction company, Top Notch Builders, he said.
Williams, a black woman, was upset yesterday, saying the racial slurs written on her home were demeaning and the boys should face a more severe punishment.
"You violated me and you violated my family," she said.
Williams said the actual damage to the home was much greater than $5,000 and she would be considering a civil lawsuit.
She expressed disappointment and said there was too much lax in the legal system.
"Look at the message they sent out to the community with these kids," she said about the county's judicial system. "They're saying you could burn a cross in a black person's yard and it would be no big deal."
Ellen Biltz: 540/374-5424
Email: ebiltz@freelancestar.com