Newton Falls police are investigating after a resident found white supremacist graffiti drawn on an outdoor basketball court.

A swastika and the numerals 1488 had been drawn in chalk on an orange Newton Falls Schools tiger mascot paw on the court pavement in the East River Gardens.

1488 is a combination of two popular white supremacist numeric symbols. The first symbol is 14, which is shorthand for the "14 Words" slogan: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children." The second is 88, which stands for "Heil Hitler" (H being the 8th letter of the alphabet). Together, the numbers form a general endorsement of white supremacy and its beliefs.

Below the swastika were the words "Support your local Berserkers" with the "s" letters shaped like the lightning bolt-shaped symbols used by the Nazi SS security forces during Adolph Hitler's reign.

The graffiti has since been washed away by the rain. However, the police did take pictures.

"There was a report immediately made on it which will be turned over to the prosecutor's office, which will determine what charges will be invoked against the person or persons who did it," said Newton Falls Police Chief Eugene Fixler. Chief Fixler says potential charges could include hate crime, vandalism, and inducing panic.

Newton Falls is approximately 50 miles south of Cleveland.