On January 29th, a College of Charleston student was arrested and accused of vandalizing the Islamic Center of Charleston. The student, Hailey Riddle, was charged with one count of malicious injury to a place of worship after spray painting the phrase “utterly blessed” on the side on the mosque. At only 18 years old, Ms. Riddle was being charged with a felony.
Hailey Riddle was represented by Scott Bischoff from Adams & Bischoff Law Firm and on June 15, 2021, the charge was officially dismissed. From the case’s inception, Bischoff maintained that his artistically inclined client was unaware she was defacing and vandalizing a religious building. Bischoff immediately had her undergo a polygraph test which revealed she had no intent to deface a religious center and was unaware that the building was an Islamic Center or place of worship before or during the event. Attorney Scott Bischoff stated, “It was not a hate crime, as first feared. It was a young person making a mistake.”
The Judge decided to give Hailey Riddle a $5,000 surety bond. The prosecutor, Scott Bischoff, and the victim in the case agreed that Ms. Riddle as a first-time offender was eligible for the state’s six-month pretrial-intervention program. The program is designed to give first-time offenders charged with nonviolent offenses a chance to participate in counseling and engage in community service rather than be prosecuted for their alleged crime. Once Ms. Riddle successfully completed the program, her charge was dismissed.
The attorneys at Adams & Bischoff have years of experience in various areas of criminal law. Our firm can help you with anything from nonviolent misdemeanors to felonies. To find out more information on how our attorneys can help in your situation, contact us today.
