Portland woman arrested in Chicago for hate crime after swastikas found on Jewish school

A Portland woman has been arrested in Chicago on multiple felony hate crimes and criminal defacement charges after swastikas were found on a Jewish school and multiple businesses.

Mariana Noel Lynch, 30, was arrested on Thursday on charges that include three felony counts of hate crime, one felony count of hate crime/school, two felony counts of criminal damage/government property, and four misdemeanor counts of criminal defacement property.

Chicago police allege that Lynch used a permanent marker to draw swastikas on businesses along Sheridan and an apartment building at Leone Beach Park. Police identified Lynch based on a description in a police notice that was published the day before after swastikas, a Star of David, and "die KKK raka" were found graffitied at Yeshiva Ohr Boruch, an Orthodox Jewish primary school in the West Ridge neighborhood, according to Chicago Sun-Times.

Court documents state that Lynch caused more than $500 worth of damages at the school.



Lynch, according to the police report, allegedly told officers she was "personally persecuted" by Jews and "has to get attention" prior to her arrest before confessing to the vandalism. She reportedly has a history of mental illness.

It has been revealed that Lynch has a criminal history in Portland, Oregon, and uses multiple aliases. Court documents show she has active cases out of Multnomah County with an alias listed as CPMS, 765679.

In July 2012, Lynch was charged and convicted of second-degree criminal trespass. In July 2015, Lynch was charged and convicted of violating fare, according to records.


Court records show that an Illinois judge released Lynch without bail. She will appear back in court in Skokie on Thursday.