Man charged with hate crime, stalking for alleged ‘homophobic’ graffiti on home in Jefferson Park

A man has been charged with a hate crime and stalking after he left “homophobic” graffiti on a home in Jefferson Park, according to Chicago police.

Thomas Howard, 62, allegedly targeted a home in the 5700 block of North Mason Avenue, down the block from him, for several months from May 2022 through January 2023, police said.

Hate crimes in Chicago have increased each year since 2021, and last year the city saw 202 reported hate crimes, according to Chicago police hate crime data dashboard. Hate crimes in the anti-LGBTQ category are the most common.

Howard faces two felony counts of stalking, one felony hate crime charge and one count of criminal damage to property valued between $500 and $10,000.

Howard was arrested Tuesday and scheduled to appear in bond court Thursday.