A Champaign County Judge has decided to release a man who admitted to antisemitic and racist vandalism.
18-year-old Dominic Koca admitted to spray painting swastikas along with other hateful symbols and slurs last Wednesday at St. Mary’s Cemetery and Mattis Park.
The judge said Koca is not a threat to the community, mentioning disabilities Koca struggles with including autism and cerebral palsy. He said Koca can only travel to school, home or medical appointments. The judge said there’s no indication Koca would cross the line from hate speech to being a danger to the community.
State’s Attorney Julia Reitz asked the judge to consider that if Koca was able to use a spray paint can, there may be nothing to stop him from using a gun to carry out even worse hateful acts. The judge replied that Koca has trouble tying his shoe, therefore he found it hard to believe he would be able to use a gun.
The judge said Koca must stay at least 200 feet from any religious buildings, and agreed with Reitz’s request that he stay at least 1,000 feet away from the three Jewish centers and places of worship in the county while awaiting his trial.