New Hampshire Teen Faces 31 Counts Of Criminal Mischief Charges On The Seacoast

PORTSMOUTH, NH — A Seacoast teenager who previously admitted to being involved in racist graffiti is facing dozens of new charges from 14 months ago in Portsmouth and other communities on the Seacoast.

On Feb. 21, 2023, Portsmouth police began investigating what it called “a wave of hate-motivated graffiti targeting houses of worship and other communities within the city of Portsmouth” after receiving several reports of spray paint graffiti, including Swastikas. There were at least 10 Swastikas painted on buildings, including a synagogue, according to police.

A few months later, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office filed 22 counts of civil rights violations against Loren Faulkner, 18, in Rockingham County Superior Court. Last month, the attorney general’s office entered into a decree with Faulkner where he admitted to 21 incidents of civil rights violations in April 2022 and February 2023.

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During the investigation, Faulkner, according to WMUR-TV, was overseas, in Africa, on missionary work and was expected to be there for two years. His mother, in court, said he was undergoing counseling, including anger management and therapy. Faulkner, she said, grew up in a very diverse household, in a very diverse neighborhood with a very diverse upbringing, with people from all different sexual orientations, races, and religions around him.

Faulkner was fined $50,000, all but $2,500 suspended for three years.

On Friday, Portsmouth police said following its investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for Faulkner on 31 counts of criminal mischief and hate-motivated criminal mischief based on the February 2023 incidents in the city. He was arrested Thursday and released on personal recognizance. Faulkner is due back in court on June 10.

Portsmouth police thanked “community partners” who assisted in the investigation, including the FBI, the AG’s Office Civil Rights Unit, the Rockingham County Attorney’s Office, and members of the media “who helped spread the word and suspect photos” and residents who contributed to the investigation with tips and video surveillance.

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