Explosion at home of interracial couple in Ohio being probed as hate crime after racist graffiti is found on garage
A massive explosion was reported at an interracial couple's house in Sterling, Ohio this week that leveled their home and prompted authorities to launch a possible hate crime investigation after they found a swastika and misspelled anti-black slur spray-painted on their garage and their neighboring garage.
Reports state that the home was unoccupied at the time of the blast on early Wednesday, and no injuries were reported. The homeowners, Angela, 55, and Brad Frase, 60, were reportedly just one year away from paying off their mortgage after a period of 23 years, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. The couple had not been staying at their home for the past month because of an electrical fire in early June. The fire reportedly caused enough damage for the pair's insurance company to put them in a hotel nearby. Angela, who is black, and Brad, who is white, were planning to move back to their home in September as the home was under reparation.
Wayne County Sheriff Captain Doug Hunter, in a video posted on Facebook, said that his department is investigating the crime with the assistance of federal officers. "Right now, we’re investigating this as a hate crime,” Hunter said, adding "we are not going to tolerate that type of activity and behavior here."
Angela, while talking to a local Fox affiliate, said that she felt "total disbelief that there's still this much hatred in America." She added that after she heard the news, she became physically sick. "We decided that whatever happens, we’re not rebuilding here. We’re not coming back. We’re done," she told the outlet.
Hunter said that one day before the explosion, construction workers in the couple's home had reported a strong smell of natural gas and after they went around the house, they found out that a stove had been left on. Shortly after the incident, the gas company servicing the home cut the supply, however, officials say that there is a possibility that there was enough gas left in the house for it to be ignited with a cigarette spark. Hunter added that the house was also broken into last week.
The state fire marshal’s office's press release stated that "an unknown suspect(s) unsuccessfully attempted to ignite the home [Tuesday] by filling it with natural gas and turning the stove burner on."