David Groth
Posted on 06/10/2006 5:22:10 AM PDT by NYer
David Groth
Tyler Groth
West Bend - Two cousins were charged with a felony crime each on Friday in the desecration of Holy Hill and, according to authorities, the older of the two admitted what he did but had no regrets.
Tyler B. Groth, 21, of Neosho and David J. Groth, 17, of Hartford each face up to 3 1/2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted of criminal damage to religious property.
Tyler Groth told investigators that he and his cousin used red spray paint in a spree of vandalism at Holy Hill on Tuesday, according to a criminal complaint. The investigators then asked Groth, according to Washington County Sheriff Brian Rahn, "Do you feel sorry for what you did?"
"No," the sheriff quoted Groth as saying. "It was just something I did. I just wanted to have some fun."
Tyler Groth was arrested on the Holy Hill grounds on Wednesday, as he and his cousin showed four friends the vandalism from the night before, according to a deputy's report. David Groth ran off that night but was arrested Friday morning, hiding behind a bed in a friend's home in Richfield, Rahn said. David Groth has been charged as an adult.
Unlike his older cousin, David Groth refused to speak to investigators, according to Rahn. No physical evidence has been recovered, he said.
Asked why he committed the vandalism, Tyler Groth said in an interview broadcast on WTMJ-TV (Channel 4): "I'm a punk. It's what I do."
Tuesday's date was 6-6-06. In the Bible, the New Testament's Book of Revelation says triple sixes are the mark of the Antichrist.
According to the criminal complaint, Tyler Groth said he and his cousin decided to spray paint walls, statues and other parts of Holy Hill because it was "Satan's birthday."
Tyler Groth told investigators that he painted "Hail Satin," a misspelling of Satan, and a devil's face in different places and that he sprayed paint on a statue of Jesus, according to the complaint. Tyler Groth said David Groth painted "I'm glad they killed Jesus" and "Hell Will Rule" in various places on the property, the complaint says.
Father Cyril Guise, director of the shrine - formally known as the National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians - said in an interview that no estimate of the amount of damage had been made but that a contractor's crew of about five had been working steadily since Wednesday.
"It's a gentle procedure so they don't destroy the statues," he said.
Guise said worshippers handed him donations to help pay for the repairs after Mass on Friday, as many others had done for the past three days. He called the vandalism "obscene," a description echoed by Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who announced Friday he would say a Mass of Reparation at Holy Hill at 4:30 p.m. today.
The cousins made their initial appearance on the charges in Washington County Circuit Court Friday. They told Judge Patrick Faragher that they understood the charges but made no other comments.
District Attorney Todd Martens asked the judge to set bail for both, saying the vandalism was "an affront to the faith of tens of thousands of Washington County residents." But public defender Paul Czisny argued that "this is not a day to punish."
Faragher said he would release Tyler Groth on a signature bond while the case is pending. He said the vandalism is a "very terrible thing" but comparable to "tagging" or graffiti, and "not an assault on the Catholic Church." He also noted that Tyler Groth, who lives with his parents and works at a siding company, had no prior record.
Faragher set $1,000 cash bail for David Groth, a Hartford Union High School student who lives with his parents and is not employed.
Both defendants are scheduled to return to court Wednesday.
Rahn said the Holy Hill vandalism appeared to be a prank rather than part of any occult activity. He said he thinks the cousins returned with friends to Holy Hill on the day after the vandalism to show off.
"In their minds, they were proud of what they had done," Rahn said.
It is obvious that they intentionally picked that particular site.
Nasty young men who will probably move on to bigger and better ways of nastiness as the years go by.
They will probably get off with a slap on the wrist and community time.
I had a cousin like that too - always putting kittens in the freezer etc.
Setting the family car on fire, later wrecking cars (one wreck killed his "fiancee") until one day he wrecked his last car - killed him (not a mark on him) and everyone else walked away.
"I'm a punk. It's what I do."
He should be forced to carry a sign around with this on it.
This should also be inscribed on his head stone when he dies. With his attitude that shouldn't be to far away.
What? "Holy Hill - It's not just for Catholics anymore?" I'm not even sure what that's supposed to mean.
"I'm a punk. It's what I do."
I'm thinking tattooing it on his forehead might be better. Only because branding might be considered cruel and unusual.
"Update on Holy Hill Vandals - w/Pictures" Ping!
Thanks, NYer! :)
Apparently a Moody Blues fan and 'Will and Grace' watcher.
Seriously, though, I hope the sentence for these two is heavy--like having to clean the grafitti off of every bridge in Milwaukee, and the sentence is not served until every trace of it is gone (pretty much a life sentence, lol).
It's in a little town called Erin, just outside of Hartford, which is a little north of Milwaukee. Nice, peaceful, rural area, near the Kettle Morain (I think). You can see Holy Hill from miles away in several directions because it is on a very high hill.
Another 6/6/06 Typso event. The Bad Guy's followers seem to include a significant percentage of the hawg-stupid population.
On a more serious note, if you look in the eyes of the perps, you're looking at evil. This is not like painting "Lobos Rule!" on a retaining wall, in spite of the lawyer's contention that it's simple grafitti.
"Tyler Groth told investigators that he painted "Hail Satin," a misspelling of Satan..."
Good thing they didn't worship the Flying Spaghetti Monster; think of how badly these morons would have mis-spelled that?
I'd have given him a "No, You're Homophones!" ping if he'd painted, "Hale Satin."
These Satanists could not have picked a better county for their religious desecration spree. If the DA holds out and takes this case to trial, justice will be had. Washington County is probably the best area in the state to get a tough, no nonsense jury. I am confident that if hanging were a sentencing option, these "punks" would swing.
The judge calls it simple grafitti too. More proof that a black robe doesn't mean anything.
And please note, that the longest word in an anagram of their names (Tyler B. Groth David J. Groth) is....
troglodyte
LOL!
You're right - I mixed up the judge's name with the public defender's in the article.
Tyler looks real intelligent!
Like you could look in his eyes and straight out his ears!
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