Suspect surrenders in Portsmouth hate crime and vandalism case

PORTSMOUTH – A suspect in a series of hate crime vandalism incidents in Portsmouth last year turned himself in to authorities Wednesday, Portsmouth police said.

Loren Faulkner, who had a warrant for his arrest as of February 2023 on 31 counts of criminal mischief and hate-motivated criminal mischief, surrendered to police and was arrested on the warrant.

The wave of graffiti in question targeted places of worship and other community sites in Portsmouth, prompting an in-depth police investigation.

The arrest was the result of a joint effort involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office Civil Rights Unit, the Rockingham County Attorney’s Office, as well as support from local media and the Portsmouth community.

Faulkner was arraigned and subsequently released on personal recognizance bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on June 10.