The exterior of the Nessah Synagogue in Beverly Hills, California. (Toglenn/Wikimedia Commons/via JTA)
JTA — The suspect in the vandalism of a Beverly Hills synagogue has pleaded not guilty to felony charges that include a hate crime allegation.
Anton Nathaniel Redding, a 24-year-old Pennsylvania native, was charged with breaking into the Nessah Synagogue and “heavily ransacking” the building in the early morning hours of December 14, including unrolling a Torah scroll and crumpling it.
Redding was charged with one felony count each of vandalism of religious property and second-degree burglary, along with the hate crime, KTLA News reported.
Shortly after being identified on surveillance camera footage, Redding was located in Hawaii and detectives traveled there to take him into custody in collaboration with local law enforcement.
Image of a man caught on camera ransacking the Beverly Hills Nessah Synagogue, December 14, 2019. (Beverly Hills Police Department)
His bail has been set at $250,000 and he remains in custody, police said. He could face up to six years in prison if convicted.
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There were no markings or other overt signs of anti-Semitism left at the synagogue, Beverly Hills police said, according to MyNewsLA.com.
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