Hateful message left behind after Chesterfield home break-in

CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WWBT) - Sunday morning Ernest Holmes and his family began cleaning up what was left behind after his Chesterfield home was broken into on Saturday.

Holmes was home in the morning but left for a few hours during the day to only return to broken glass on his back porch.

The 70-year-old who is recovering from a stroke says he’s surprised something like this didn’t happen when he was in the hospital for the last two months.

“Nothing, nothing everything was intact and there were no problems,” Holmes said. “Now when I come back home and then something like this happens, I feel that somebody is watching me mighty close, to come in at daytime and do something like that.”

Holmes said he filed a police report with Chesterfield Police and believes nothing was taken but whoever broke in left a message for Holmes.

Racial slurs and symbols of hate were spray-painted in red up and down the walls along his staircase. It’s the messages that were left that the Chesterfield man says he’s not shocked about but wants to know why someone did it.

“It doesn’t surprise me one bit you see but it does hurt me you know,” Holmes said. “It’s hard for me to understand if it could be a neighbor or whatever its hard for me to believe it. Because I have some wonderful neighbors here.”

Holmes says his family will be picking up paint to help him cover up his hallway and the window and locks will be replaced.

He says whoever did this should stop and think about what those messages mean.

Holmes says after living in the community for 40 years there’s no room for it in his neighborhood.

“I feel that in this day of time with all the stuff going on we don’t have time for hatred, there’s no time for hatred,” Holmes said.

Chesterfield Police say they are still investigating this incident and anyone with information can call Crime Solvers at (804) 748 - 0660.

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