Beloit College student spray-paints threat on own dorm room door, police say

BELOIT, Wis. — A Beloit College student faces charges after confessing to spray-painting a bias symbol and threats on his own dorm room door, Beloit police said.

Beloit police detectives arrested 20-year-old Michael Kee as part of an investigation into incidents of potential hate crimes involving two students on the Beloit College campus, according to a release.

Beloit College officials said an anti-Semitic note was placed under a student’s door in a residence hall on Friday and an anti-Muslim threat was spray-painted Monday on another student’s residence hall door. An offensive symbol was also painted on a nearby wall.

Kee was the student who reported that the wall next to his dorm room and his door had been spray-painted with a bias symbol and phrases related to his religion and ethnicity, police said. Kee was the second student victim from the Jan. 30 incidents.

During an interview, Kee confessed that he did the spray-painting, police said. He told officers he saw how the community had come together after the first reported incident and wanted similar attention.

“We have met with representatives from Beloit College involving the investigations to ensure that the lines of communication remain open,” officials said in the release. “The Beloit Police Department considers hate crimes or similar criminal behavior to be very serious and take full measure of our duty to fully and completely investigate all incidents.”

“The false report by Kee may only serve to delegitimize other victims of these types of offenses,” police said. “We believe it is important for our community to know that Kee’s incident does not diminish our resolve going forward with these reported incidents and any other reported crimes of this nature.”

Police said their detectives are continuing to investigate and hope to identify all people involved in the first hate crime incident.

Kee faces tentative charges of obstructing, disorderly conduct and criminal damage.

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