David Groth
Posted on 06/10/2006 5:22:10 AM PDT by NYer
David Groth
Tyler Groth
West Bend - Two cousins were charged with a felony crime each on Friday in the desecration of Holy Hill and, according to authorities, the older of the two admitted what he did but had no regrets.
Tyler B. Groth, 21, of Neosho and David J. Groth, 17, of Hartford each face up to 3 1/2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted of criminal damage to religious property.
Tyler Groth told investigators that he and his cousin used red spray paint in a spree of vandalism at Holy Hill on Tuesday, according to a criminal complaint. The investigators then asked Groth, according to Washington County Sheriff Brian Rahn, "Do you feel sorry for what you did?"
"No," the sheriff quoted Groth as saying. "It was just something I did. I just wanted to have some fun."
Tyler Groth was arrested on the Holy Hill grounds on Wednesday, as he and his cousin showed four friends the vandalism from the night before, according to a deputy's report. David Groth ran off that night but was arrested Friday morning, hiding behind a bed in a friend's home in Richfield, Rahn said. David Groth has been charged as an adult.
Unlike his older cousin, David Groth refused to speak to investigators, according to Rahn. No physical evidence has been recovered, he said.
Asked why he committed the vandalism, Tyler Groth said in an interview broadcast on WTMJ-TV (Channel 4): "I'm a punk. It's what I do."
Tuesday's date was 6-6-06. In the Bible, the New Testament's Book of Revelation says triple sixes are the mark of the Antichrist.
According to the criminal complaint, Tyler Groth said he and his cousin decided to spray paint walls, statues and other parts of Holy Hill because it was "Satan's birthday."
Tyler Groth told investigators that he painted "Hail Satin," a misspelling of Satan, and a devil's face in different places and that he sprayed paint on a statue of Jesus, according to the complaint. Tyler Groth said David Groth painted "I'm glad they killed Jesus" and "Hell Will Rule" in various places on the property, the complaint says.
Father Cyril Guise, director of the shrine - formally known as the National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians - said in an interview that no estimate of the amount of damage had been made but that a contractor's crew of about five had been working steadily since Wednesday.
"It's a gentle procedure so they don't destroy the statues," he said.
Guise said worshippers handed him donations to help pay for the repairs after Mass on Friday, as many others had done for the past three days. He called the vandalism "obscene," a description echoed by Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who announced Friday he would say a Mass of Reparation at Holy Hill at 4:30 p.m. today.
The cousins made their initial appearance on the charges in Washington County Circuit Court Friday. They told Judge Patrick Faragher that they understood the charges but made no other comments.
District Attorney Todd Martens asked the judge to set bail for both, saying the vandalism was "an affront to the faith of tens of thousands of Washington County residents." But public defender Paul Czisny argued that "this is not a day to punish."
Faragher said he would release Tyler Groth on a signature bond while the case is pending. He said the vandalism is a "very terrible thing" but comparable to "tagging" or graffiti, and "not an assault on the Catholic Church." He also noted that Tyler Groth, who lives with his parents and works at a siding company, had no prior record.
Faragher set $1,000 cash bail for David Groth, a Hartford Union High School student who lives with his parents and is not employed.
Both defendants are scheduled to return to court Wednesday.
Rahn said the Holy Hill vandalism appeared to be a prank rather than part of any occult activity. He said he thinks the cousins returned with friends to Holy Hill on the day after the vandalism to show off.
"In their minds, they were proud of what they had done," Rahn said.
"Maybe he wants to be a gay interior decorator"
I'm sure some of the fellas in the pen will introduce him to some fairly drastic"interior decorating"
They just might get to learn a new definition of punk.
Tyler Groth said David Groth painted "I'm glad they killed Jesus" and "Hell Will Rule" in various places on the property, the complaint says.
Sad and pathetic. I've only known one other person who expressed the same sentiment.
"Update on Holy Hill Vandals >>
was there a previous thread?
Lol ... I'm choking!
Ooooooeeeeuuuuu,.....I wish you hadn't said that.
Yes ... and as with your news story on the same date, the Admin Moderator moved it to the Chat Forum. Here's the link:
Egad. Satin? I think he's the guy in charge of Heck. That's where you go if you don't believe in Gosh.
Beautiful photo. The snow looks very appealing to me, after an afternoon out in 90+.
Wow! Here in the Northeast, it's more like winter. Today was day 1 of our parish 'garage sale' fundraiser. The temperature hovered around 50 with winds gusting out of the west at 30+ mph. Truly surrealistic to be dressed in a turtle neck, sweatshirt, winter jeans and socks with boots. And .... it rained throughout the early part of the day. Want to trade?
I think I'd rather be hot! It is, after all, almost summer :-). Your day sounds like the weather we had for Elen's First Communion a month ago. Everyone had to bundle up.
I suspect "Satin" sets Old Scratch's fangs on edge a tad less than "Luipher," lol.
I agree - "Luipher" just looks really dumb!
I wonder if the criminal damage to property (there is no statute regarding "vandalism") would have been considered a hate crime had the object of that damage and hate speech been an Islamic mosque or Islamic religious symbols? I don't support the concept of "hate crimes".....a crime is a crime, but I would bet the judge would have taken a different view of the crime and the perpetrator's lack of remorse had the situation I described taken place.
God guide this self-professed "punk" and his cousin.
EODGUY
It means that the Catholics graciously encourage people of all denominations and no denominations to visit this unique site and are superb hosts to everyone who visits in good faith, just as they do a similarly great job at the Vatican, where I've also been.
p> The slime balls certainly did. It's the most spectacular and inspiring religious site in the entire Milwaukee area. Indeed, there's nothing in Chicago, about 140 miles south, that equals it.
Sounds like the kid needs to learn the old-school definition of "punk" (hint: in old prison slang, it used to be the equivalent of the modern "b-tch").
It would and should be in that case, and it should and hopefully will be in this case. Hate crime statutes are pretty much moot in cases of murder or assault, where the penalties should be severe regardless of the motivation. But painting swastikas on a synagogue -- or an inept "Hail Satin" on a church -- is simply not the same crime as painting "Billy luvs Suzie" on a highway overpass, even if the physical act is the same.
Well, say that then. The first time through was ambiguous at best.
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