3 MD Teens Charged With Hate Crime, Harassment Of Student: Officials

CALVERT COUNTY, MD — Three 13-year-old students are facing hate crime charges after state prosecutors say they engaged in multiple acts, including making Nazi salutes, toward another student because of their religious beliefs.

The Calvert County State's Attorney's Office said Friday that the three students at Plum Point Middle School in Huntingtown had been repeatedly asked to stop over several months after their behavior began in December 2023.

The students are accused of displaying swastikas and making offensive comments toward the victim, who then reported the alleged actions to Maryland State Police.

The students also “directed offensive comments to a classmate because of the classmate’s religious beliefs,” the prosecutor’s statement said, quoting charging documents, The Washington Post reported.

The accused students are being charged as juveniles and face charges relating to harassment and violations of Maryland’s hate crimes statutes, according to state prosecutors.

The charges will be sent to the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, which could then send the charges to the Calvert County Circuit Court for an adjudicatory hearing, according to state prosecutors.

“Maryland was founded on the principle of religious toleration," Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey said in a news release. "It is frankly astonishing that nearly 400 years later, some people continue to persecute others based upon their religion. I call upon parents, educators and community and faith leaders to make sure that our children know that religious persecution has no place in our society.”