Former Employee Charged For Hate Bias Crimes On UMD Campus

BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- The University of Maryland Police Department has charged a man for hate bias crimes that occurred last year.

Authorities say Terrell Demonte Alexander, 18, from Lanham, Maryland has been charged for racially-charged writings in a men's bathroom stall in October and November.

Investigators say handwriting samples and photos of the graffiti were submitted to the Maryland State Police Forensic Science Division and Alexander was linked to the hate-bias graffiti.

"We take incidents of hate-bias in our community very seriously, which is reflected in the extensive effort to identify the individual responsible," said Chief David B. Mitchell. "Thanks to our officers, who spent many hours reviewing video footage and interviewing potential witnesses, to Maryland State Police Forensic Science Division, who analyzed handwriting samples and to the university's Dining Services for their attentive proactive response towards the incidents."

Police say Alexander is a former University of Maryland employee.

"We continue to encourage the community to contact us when witnessing incidents of hate so we can all work together to keep our campus safe," Chief Mitchell said. "Creating a safe and welcoming campus for all members of the UMD community is our top priority. Our message is clear. Hate is not welcome here."

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