Ottawa

Teen charged for graffiti vandalism in custody while police explore new charges

Police have told an Ottawa family investigators are examining whether the teen responsible for engraving a swastika and a slur into the family car last year is the same one accused in a spate of racist graffiti this month.

Ottawa family says police told them they're looking into links to their case from 2015

Laura Armitage's son used this picture of the family car to start up a Go Fund Me campaign in 2015. The family phoned police last week to remark on the similarities between the attack on their car last year and offer leads. (GO FUND ME)
The teen accused of spray-painting racial slurs and swastikas at six different locations in a single week went before a judge Tuesday on 20 charges, with the judge agreeing to hold the teen in custody until at least  Nov. 30.

Ottawa police said they are continuing their investigation into older files preceding the six incidents, but gave few details.

A family in Dunrobin said police told them investigators are examining whether the same teen is responsible for engraving a swastika and a slur into the family car last year.

Laura Armitage said the family called police last week after seeing the graffiti attacks on religious buildings because the vandalism was very similar to the incident that happened in late 2015. 

Armitage said investigators visited the family Monday to follow up. 

Back in 2015, police did not find evidence of who had done the damage, but Armitage said Monday they told the family police are investigating the link again.

The graffiti appeared on the family car after the teen was suspended from the same high school attended by her own son.