A Massachusetts man and his stepfather repeatedly vandalized a house displaying Black Lives Matter indicators — spray-painting an obscenity on a tree and pelting eggs and tomatoes on the residence, authorities allege.

Joshua Simpson, 21, and Stephen Smith, 55, had been arraigned Tuesday after a month-long investigation into vandalism, property injury and civil rights violations on the house in Lynnfield, Essex County District Legal professional Jonathan Blodgett introduced.

The pair, who additionally stay in Lynnfield, had been charged after a resident first reported the vandalism on Aug. 17, saying an obscenity directed towards Black Lives Matter was spray-painted on a driveway, Blodgett stated.

The home-owner stated a BLM signal on the residence was stolen the night time earlier than, however the alleged theft was not reported, authorities stated.

Police responded to the Summer season Road house over the course of the following month to look into a number of acts of vandalism and property injury, together with a number of stolen BLM indicators, an obscenity spray-painted on a tree and eggs and tomatoes tossed on the residence, Blodgett stated.

Officers conducting surveillance on the house early Tuesday then noticed Simpson approaching the residence with a carton of eggs, Blodgett stated.

“A short while later, Smith drove by the scene and tried to run the officers over along with his automobile,” the district legal professional’s workplace stated in a press release.

Simpson pleaded not responsible to fees of malicious destruction of property, larceny beneath $1,200, vandalizing property, resisting arrest, property injury to intimidate and felony harassment. A decide set his bail at $750 and ordered him to steer clear of the sufferer’s house, in addition to to abstain from ingesting alcohol, Blodgett stated.

Smith pleaded not responsible to working beneath the affect, assault with a harmful weapon, reckless operation of a motorized vehicle, property injury to intimidate and assault to homicide. He was ordered held with out bail forward of a dangerousness listening to set for Sept. 21, prosecutors stated.

Detectives spent “numerous hours” responding to the vandalism experiences and dealing with the owners to determine Smith and Simpson, Lynnfield Police Chief David Breen stated.

“I’m hopeful that these arrests and eventual prosecution of those people will assist present some peace of thoughts to the victims and ship a message to others that such a conduct is not going to be tolerated on this neighborhood,” Breen stated in a press release.