SPOKANE, Wash. — Charges against the 19-year-old accused of intentionally leaving skid marks on a Spokane Pride mural have been dropped.
Ruslan Turko was one of three people arrested after the Spokane Pride mural was defaced with Lime scooters. Turko had been charged with First Degree Malicious Mischief.
Prosecutors filed for the charges to be dropped on July 31.
The mural was vandalized on June 6, just a few days after the mural had been repainted after someone set it on fire.
Court documents show when one of the witnesses confronted the young teens, one of the minors shouted back "F*** you F*****" and "Go to Hell." A different witness also heard a suspect in the group say "F*****" according to court documents.
SPD detained the suspects thirty-four minutes after the initial call near Washington and Spokane Falls Blvd.
Prosecutors had requested a $15,000 bond due to the estimated cost of repainting the mural.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee recently signed legislation to update the state's hate crime law to include the defacement of public property back in March. The updated law went into effect Thursday, June 6, meaning it is a felony to deface a public symbol of Pride in Washington state.
