Police: Tip led to arrest in grave-defacing

A tip from Des Plaines police is what led to the arrest of a man who authorities say defaced nearly 60 graves in a Jewish cemetery with anti-Semitic graffiti, a Cook County sheriff's spokeswoman said Sunday.

Des Plaines Sgt. Kevin Boyd confirmed that information developed on another case -- which wasn't related to the defacing of the headstones -- led deputies to Mariusz Wdziekonski, 21, of the 7800 block of West Lawrence Avenue, Norridge.

More information on the investigation would be made available today, Boyd said.

"It had nothing to do with our cemetery case. It had nothing to do with hate crimes at all," sheriff's department spokesman Penny Mateck said. "They received some information that they passed along to us that helped lead to the break in this case."

Wdziekonski is charged with one count of institutional vandalism, one count of criminal defacement and one count of criminal damage to property. All three are felonies. He faces a minimum of six years in prison if convicted on all charges.

On Jan. 6, officials at Westlawn Cemetery, 7801 W. Montrose Ave. in unincorporated Norwood Park Township, found numerous anti-Semitic words and signs spray painted in blue and white on 57 headstones in the western portion of the cemetery.

Mateck said a break in the case came early last week when Des Plaines police officers obtained information about Wdziekonski's role in the cemetery damage. He was taken into custody by sheriff's police Thursday and later admitted to the vandalism.

Wdziekonski also admitted his involvement with a neo-Nazi organization and told police he was trying to impress members of his group by doing something on a large scale, Mateck said.

"The sheriff's department deserves high praise for its handling of this deplorable anti-Semitic incident which is a hate crime against the entire community," said Lonnie Nasatir, the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League in Chicago. "The sheriff's office took the graffiti seriously from the moment it was discovered."

Wdziekonski is being held in jail, unable to post the $250,000 cash he needs to be released. The judge also required him to surrender his passport and have no contact with the cemetery. His next court date is Feb. 15.

Mateck said Wdziekonski, who works as a mechanic in the area, has no prior criminal history.