Source: The North County Times
[northcountytimes.com/articles/2008/10/30/news/inland/san_marcos/zcc40a921cf5f6b36882574f20078cfad.txt]
Vandals armed with red paint wrote threats and racial slurs, some attacking Muslims and presidential candidate Barack Obama, on property along San Elijo Road, officials said Thursday.
One scrawl included the phrase "Death to (expletive deleted) Muslim and Obama," according to an image released in a news report.
The messages were discovered Thursday on signs and other property along San Elijo Road between Baylor Drive and Questhaven Road, Lt. Anthony Ray said.
The sheriff's station first heard about the graffiti at 6:10 a.m., Ray said.
"Deputies called out the city public works department before everyone started moving (on the roadway) and became incredibly offended," Ray said.
No one was in custody Thursday, he said.
Simple graffiti ---- that which results in damages of less than $400 ---- is a misdemeanor, Ray said.
But Thursday's vandalism could constitute a hate crime, which is an automatic felony, he said.