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Carpet, wipe boards vandalized inside Craig Hall on DU campus

Three people were arrested Friday. One of them faces felony charges of burglary and criminal mischief.

DENVER — One of three people arrested after the most recent vandalism incident on the University of Denver campus faces felony charges for entering the building without permission and defacing property.

Documents obtained by 9NEWS show that members of DU security saw the man on video entering a closed and locked building, which was identified as Craig Hall. When offices arrived, they encountered the man exiting a classroom with a backpack full of spray paint and markers.

RELATED: 3 arrested for vandalism at University of Denver

Officers entered the room and noticed that the carpeted floor had been spray-painted with the words "What side of history will you be on." The white dry-erase boards had the words "free Palestine" and "40,000 dead silence is complicit" written in permanent marker.

It was estimated that replacing the carpet would cost about $2,000 and replacing the boards would cost about $1,000.

That man and two women were arrested while in the act of vandalizing the building last Thursday, according to DU officials. Documents indicate that the other two suspects are each accused of drawing on the wipe boards with permanent markers.

A total of four people were involved, but one of them ran away. DU officials said two of the three people arrested were students. In a message, the school said that "appropriate disciplinary actions" are being taken against the accused vandals.

RELATED: Vandalism occurred on DU campus after fake emergency call used as distraction, officials say

It was the second act of vandalism at DU within about a week. On May 19, a building was splashed with red paint after someone placed a fake call about a shooting to Campus Security to create a distraction, DU leaders said.

Credit: University of Denver

The call about the shooting, according to the school, tied up resources unnecessarily and created a potentially dangerous situation if there had been a call at that time for a real emergency. Making a false report could result in criminal charges.

School leaders said previously they were looking into whether the two incidents are connected.

Anyone with information related to the vandalism, property destruction, or fake emergency call is asked to contact Campus Safety on their non-emergency line at 303-871-2334. Information can also be submitted online.

The online reporting system allows for anonymous reporting.

RELATED: Protesters fail to meet deadline to voluntarily leave DU encampment

A group of DU students began protesting on the university's campus on May 9 with a list of demands for the school's leaders. The protest group said they built a "solidarity encampment for Palestine" to urge the university to "divest from Israeli war crimes." 

While the vandalism included pro-Palestinian messages, it's not clear if any of those arrested are associated with the protests.

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