Police say two Binghamton residents are in custody in connection with the painting of swastikas at the city high school.

Authorities say 22-year-old William Ritchie of 88 Henry Street was located by detectives in the downtown area Wednesday morning. They say 17-year-old Andrew Carter - who gave no permanent address - was found a few hours later on the West Side.

Investigators used video from city-operated and school district cameras to identify the suspects.

Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said based on the surveillance recordings, the swastikas were painted around 4:58 a.m. Tuesday.

Ritchie and Carter have been charged with felony counts of aggravated harassment and criminal mischief designated as a hate crime.

The suspects were arraigned in Binghamton City Court and were sent to Broome County Jail without bail.

The arrests were announced by Mayor Richard David and the police chief at a City Hall news conference, which was attended by city school superintendent Tonia Thompson and two Broome County rabbis.


This story was updated to include the name of the second suspect and arraignment information.


Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com

For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

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