Former student charged in racist graffiti at EMU

Ypsilanti – A 29-year-old man was arraigned Monday on charges stemming from three incidents in which racist and hate graffiti was found on the campus of Eastern Michigan University.

Eddie Curlin, who was an EMU student from 2014 to early 2016, was arraigned in Washtenaw County District Court on three counts of malicious destruction of property, four counts of identity theft and one count of using computers to commit a crime, the university said in a news release.

Curlin, 29, is serving a prison term of 18 months to five years on a conviction for receiving stolen property in December 2015, according to a state corrections database.

The charges are related to incidents that took place in September 2016 at King Hall, in which a hate message was found spray painted on an exterior wall; an October 2016 incident in which a racist message was discovered spray painted on an exterior wall of Ford Hall; and, a third incident last spring in which a racist message was found in a men’s restroom stall in Sherzer Hall, according to EMU.

“Our officers have worked on this case extensively since day one,” said EMU Police Chief Robert Heighes. “We appreciate that people wanted a fast arrest but, in many cases, that is not the way police work happens. I recognize the anger, fear and frustration that these incidents caused for many of our students, faculty and staff, and I thank them for their patience and understanding as we conducted a thorough investigation.”