PORTLAND, Ore. — A West Linn man is facing bias crime charges for allegedly putting a neo-Nazi propaganda sticker on a fence outside a facility in Northeast Portland that helps refugees and immigrants, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) said.
Jarl Judson Rockhill, 35, is accused of putting the sticker on the fence of the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) near Northeast Glisan Street and 102nd Avenue.
According to court documents, the crime happened early in the morning on April 23 and was reported to police a few days later. PPB got ahold of surveillance video that showed the suspect and his pickup truck at the crime scene, police said.
Investigators with PPB's Criminal Intelligence Unit were able to identify Rockhill from the footage and got a warrant for his arrest. On Wednesday, he was arrested during a traffic stop in Clackamas County and booked into jail on a warrant for bias crime in the second degree.
Following the arrest, police and SWAT team members executed a search warrant at his home and found further evidence linking him to the crime, police said.
He also had a tattoo on his firearm that appeared to be a mirror image of a white supremacist symbol known as a "sonnenrad," court documents said, and there are multiple photos online that show Rockhill with members of white supremacist groups.
"Numerous rifles, handguns, and related items were taken for safekeeping as they were not specifically linked to the criminal investigation," PPB said in a release.
Police said Rockhill may face additional charges of bias crime in the first degree and criminal mischief in the third degree in Multnomah County.
"We have seen the effects of hate and intolerance and the violence it can lead to,” said Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell. "We work regularly with IRCO and continue to build relationships so that our immigrant community can trust police and reach out to us when they need to, such as with this case.”
Anyone with information about Rockhill is asked to send a tip to PPB's tip line: crimetips@portlandoregon.gov.