The Davis woman accused of carrying out the hate-crime vandalism at a local Islamic mosque wrote of having “dreams and aspirations” of killing people, and glorified Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof in social media postings, according to a Davis police declaration seeking to enhance bail in the case from $40,000 to $1 million.
Lauren Kirk-Coehlo also “made derogatory remarks using the terms ‘Jews, Mexicans and (N—–s)’ on a regular basis,” conducted online searches regarding local mosques, bomb vests and Quebec mosque attack suspect Alexandre Bissonnette, and described herself as having “mental problems” in texts to her mother, Detective Dan LaFond wrote in the document, a copy of which is contained in Kirk-Coehlo’s court file.
The information was culled from Kirk-Coehlo’s cell phone, which was seized during a Feb. 1 search of her North Davis home. Some of her alleged comments were contained in private messages in her Twitter account, according to LaFond.
“Based on Kirk-Coehlo’s hate-motivated vandalism along with her glorification of Roof and Bissonnette, who recently killed African Americans and Muslims in their place of worship, along with her own statement of having dreams and aspirations of killing, concern law enforcement,” LaFond wrote. “I believe Kirk-Coehlo is an immediate danger to the public.”
The bail enhancement was granted by Yolo Superior Court Judge Samuel McAdam, who also signed Kirk-Coehlo’s arrest warrant.
See a copy of the arresting officer’s bail declaration here (includes offensive language): Bail declaration
Davis police arrested Kirk-Coehlo, 30, on Tuesday morning following a three-week investigation by local and federal authorities into the Jan. 22 vandalism at the Islamic Center of Davis, which has been classified as a hate crime.
Kirk-Coehlo, a 2004 Davis High School graduate, was taken into custody at about 11:20 a.m. on a felony warrant charging her with vandalism with a hate crime enhancement, as well as vandalism to a church.
View the criminal complaint here: Criminal Complaint, Feb. 14
The arrest occurred at Kirk-Coehlo’s home on Corona Drive in North Davis, where local police and FBI agents served a search warrant in connection with the case on Feb. 1 but remained tight-lipped about the probe until Tuesday morning.
An arraignment hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday in Yolo Superior Court. In the meantime, Kirk-Coehlo remains in Yolo County Jail custody, the high bail amount reflecting “the seriousness of this felony offense, the fact that it is a hate crime,” District Attorney Jeff Reisig said.
“In order to file these charges, we had to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt based on the evidence submitted to us … that we could prove these charges, and we believe that,” Reisig said during a news conference Tuesday at the Davis police station, where he, Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel and FBI Special Agent in Charge Monica Miller discussed the investigation and arrest.
Yolo County Jail officials have declined to release Kirk-Coehlo’s booking photo in advance of Thursday’s court hearing. She turned down an interview request from The Davis Enterprise.
Kirk-Coehlo has no criminal history in Yolo County, where court records indicate her only police contacts were for speeding and a seat-belt violation in 2007. She was charged with misdemeanor trespassing in Santa Barbara County in 2004 but pleaded guilty to a lesser infraction, according to a district attorney’s spokeswoman there.
Pytel said his agency received multiple tips after releasing security-camera footage from the Russell Boulevard mosque showing the suspect in the case smashing windows, vandalizing bicycles and draping what was later determined to be bacon — a prohibited food in the Muslim religion — on an exterior door handle during the early-morning hours of Jan. 22. Damage was estimated at $7,000.
“We received quite a bit of information after releasing the video surveillance, and detectives were able to piece together other aspects of the crime, which led to the arrest today,” Pytel said.
Pytel declined to comment regarding any statements Kirk-Coehlo may have provided to investigators or detail the evidence obtained during the search of her home and vehicle.
No other suspects are believed to be involved, and Pytel said the vandalism does not appear to be connected to a threatening letter that the Davis Islamic Center and other mosques across the nation received in late November.
No one answered the door at Kirk-Coehlo’s home Tuesday. A neighbor, who declined to be identified, expressed shock and sadness when informed of the arrest.
“I just feel very bad for the family. I thought she was a very positive, friendly person,” the neighbor said. “I didn’t sense any negativity. She was always very polite, and always seemed very happy.”
According to Reisig, to prove the hate-crime element of the case, prosecutors must prove that the crime was committed, “in whole or in part because of the victim’s religion or ethnicity.” The church vandalism counts allege that the crime was committed for the purpose of intimidating and deterring people from freely exercising their religious beliefs.
Combined, the felony charges carry a potential punishment of up to six years in state prison, Reisig said.
Pytel thanked both the FBI and Davis police detectives for their efforts to solve the case, highlighting in particular the work of LaFond and other officers he said “have taken this crime very seriously from the outset and have been put in a tireless amount of time investigating this crime.”
While no federal charges are pending in the case, Miller, the FBI agent, said they could be forthcoming in light of the civil-rights violations being alleged.
“That has to be evaluated, and it will take a length of time,” Miller said, noting that such charges would involve cooperation between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and local law-enforcement agencies.
Also observing Tuesday’s press conference were members of the Davis Islamic Center’s executive board, who welcomed news of an arrest but said they harbor no ill will toward the suspect.
“In a way, we want to thank her, because she brought us all together,” Mohamed Kheiter, the board’s treasurer, said of the outpouring of support the Islamic Center received from residents of Davis and beyond in the wake of the vandalism. “It made us more powerful and more active in our community.”
Five days after the crime, hundreds of people gathered in Central Park to demonstrate their solidarity with the Muslim community, and the Islamic Center received more than $22,000 in financial contributions that Kheiter said have been used to repair the damaged windows, upgrade the center’s security system and support outreach efforts such as sending local students on educational tours of UC Davis and its medical school.
“This incident showed the beautiful good will of Americans and that our communities stand united,” added Amr Zedan, the Davis Islamic Center’s president. “As a Muslim community we are forgiving and merciful, but we hope that the perpetrator has the chance to reflect upon her actions and the grief she caused our community.”
Several organizations also offered rewards for information leading to an arrest and prosecution, the distribution of which “is something we will look at as the case progresses,” Pytel said.
Kheiter said he and others of his faith ultimately want an opportunity to meet with the suspect face to face.
“We know she did it for lack of knowledge,” Kheiter said. “She deserves an opportunity to learn about us. We are sure if she learned about our beliefs, she would regret what she did.”
Mayor Robb Davis, a proponent of restorative justice, said he hopes that conversation occurs.
“I think they deserve some answers like that. Also, for her — is there an opportunity to learn from the harm caused?” said Davis, who characterized the news of Tuesday’s arrest as “bittersweet.”
“We’re thankful that we have someone in custody, but it’s one of our own,” he said. “I think we’re all just grasping to understand how this happens.”
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene
