NEWPORT — Police have arrested four men in connection with vandalism in Newport and neighboring communities this fall. 

Newport residents Brandon Teeter, 24; Devin Croteau, 22; and Zachery Fuller, 30; along with Claremont resident Samuel Bathrick, 27, are charged with five counts of criminal mischief and five counts of conspiracy to commit criminal mischief, according to a Tuesday news release from the Newport Police Department. 

Four of the complaints are class B felonies because the cost of the damage exceeded $1,500. Two of the complaints carry an extended term of imprisonment because the defendants are alleged to have been substantially motivated to commit the crime because of hostility toward the victim’s race or national origin.

The men were scheduled to be arraigned in Sullivan Superior Court on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the release.

The arrests stem from a spate of vandalism in Newport and nearby towns in recent months.

Six Newport School District buses that had been parked overnight on Oct. 23 at the Newport Department of Public Works were vandalized. The damage included smashed windows and spray-painted graffiti. The cost of the damage to the six buses exceeded $100,000.

Various derogatory terms also were painted on homes, fences and vehicles overnight on Oct. 30, Newport police found.

“Some of the vandalism appeared on its face to be motivated by hostility towards the victim’s race or national origin as defined by the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act,” according to the Tuesday news release.

Working in conjunction with the New Hampshire State Police Troop C, police identified additional “offenses” in Claremont, Croydon and Springfield, N.H.

Subsequently, in mid-November, more than a dozen vehicles at McGee Mazda were damaged, including slashed tires. The cost of the damage to the vehicles totaled more than $20,000.

Then, earlier this month, the vandals struck the Newport School District buses again while they were parked at the Newport Department of Public Works. The vandals again spray-painted graffiti, some of which appeared to be motivated by hostility toward a person’s race or national origin.

In addition to the charges the suspects face in Sullivan County, they may also face additional charges. Newport police have forwarded the results of the investigation to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Civil Rights Unit to determine whether additional civil action is warranted under the state’s Civil Rights Act.

In addition to Newport and state police, the Claremont and Springfield police departments, as well as the Grafton County Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit, and the Newport School District assisted in the investigation. The investigation, including into instances of vandalism over the past nine months, is ongoing. Those with information to share may contact Officer Cody Foster at 603-863-3232 or cfoster@newportnh.gov. 

Nora Doyle-Burr can be reached at ndoyleburr@vnews.com or 603-727-3213.