A Shreveport man and two teens have been charged with spray-painting profanity and drug symbols on a local mosque in July.

Russell Price, 22, a 16-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy were issued summonses for criminal mischief. Criminal mischief carries a penalty of not more than $500 and six months in jail.

The July 30 Islamic Association of Arabi Inc. case was solved through a Crime Stoppers tip, Shreveport police spokeswoman Kacee Hargrave said Thursday. Price and the teens told investigators they did not vandalize the building because it is an Islamic place of worship.

Some who pray at the Broadmoor neighborhood mosque, in the 3700 block of Youree Drive, said last summer they thought the spray-painting was a hate crime.

The mosque has been there since 1991. It was vandalized once and its American flag was stolen in the months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. [Link]