Karl Etters

Democrat staff writer

Update 10:30

CRAWFORDVILLE Members of Mount Olive Primitive Baptist Church in Wakulla County arrived for choir practice Wednesday night to find "KKK" spray-painted on the side of their church.

It is the third predominantly black church in the rural county this week vandalized with racial remarks and has sparked an FBI investigation into what appear to be hate crimes. A truck at Wildwood Golf Course was also painted with "KKK" Sunday.

Federal officers are working with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Wakulla County Sheriff's Office investigating the crimes.

Investigators believe the most recent vandalism happened Wednesday afternoon.

Mount Olive is on Old Shell Point Road and Bloxam Cutoff Road just minutes from the two churches where Sunday's vandalism occurred. Several street signs along Old Shell Point Road also had "KKK" painted on them.

Wakulla County NAACP Organizing Committee President Anginita Rosier said the racially charged vandalism has shocked the community, both white and black.

"The whole community is in shock right now that we still have these things occurring," she said as a member of the church was painting over the spray paint.

She said people are trying to comprehend why churches are being targeted.

"I think the biggest question that everyone has is why are they doing it?" she said. "These are senseless crimes. I don't know if someone's getting a thrill out of doing them, but they're serious."

The unity of the community has been reassuring, she added.

"If there's a positive out of this negative behavior it's really bound the citizens of this county together," Rosier said. "It's affected everyone to the point that everyone is anxious to see someone held accountable for these crimes."

She applauded Wakulla County Sheriff Charlie Creel for his efforts to find who is responsible. Creel was at the churches vandalized Sunday and was disturbed by another incident Wednesday.

He said WCSO investigators cleared a suspect in Sunday's vandalism on Wednesday, but would be pursuing three more Thursday.

FBI and WCSO investigators were on scene Wednesday night taking paint samples from the street signs and pouring plaster tire molds in a field behind the church.

Creel said he is concerned by the rash of apparent hate crimes in the county. However, he said he does not think an active group is responsible.

"I don't think this is an active group that the community's got to be concerned about," Creel said, but is instead the work of individuals looking to "stir stuff up."

"They're cowards hiding behind a spray can," he said.

Pamela Marsh, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida, said she immediately assigned FBI investigators to the Wakulla incidents following Sunday's vandalism.

She said federal investigators, too, are committed to apprehending whoever is responsible.

"I was dedicated to getting this done. I really think we will get this done," Marsh said.

Dale Landry, vice president of the Florida State Conference of the NAACP, said the problem lies in a few bold individuals in Wakulla County.

"We've got a problem in Wakulla, but I think Wakulla is rising to the occasion to deal with it," Landry said. "I don't think it's the larger part of Wakulla, but, this is unacceptable."

He said the work in eradicating the racist attitude expressed recently is being addressed by the community.

"I want to see (racism) disappear in my lifetime," he said. "What we've got to do is start working at it and combating it and exposing it."

Mount Olive Pastor Samuel Hayes said he agrees with Creel in that the incidents seem to be the work of a few rogue individuals.

He is not deterred from leading a healing spirit in the midst of the racial outbursts. He sees the incidents as a chance for the county to come together and is excited about moving forward.

"Any means for harm, God turns into good," said Hayes, who has been pastor at Mount Olive for 22 years. "This is going to bring us together. I've run across so many wonderful people in this county. We're a family."

Democrat staff writers Sean Rossman and Jeff Burlew contributed to this report.

Prayer vigil being held Thursday

A community prayer vigil by the Wakulla County NAACP Organizing Committee will be held Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at New Bridge Hope Church at 1282 Spring Creek Highway in Crawfordville.

Earlier update

A third Wakulla County church was spray painted with racist remarks Wednesday evening Sheriff Charlie Creel said.

It marks the third church this week to be targeted. Sunday morning, churchgoers arrived at two churches to find "KKK' spray painted on their marquees.

The racially charged message "KKK" was also painted on Mount Olive Primitive Baptist Church Wednesday afternoon, but Creel said it happened Wednesday afternoon. The FBI has opened an investigation into the vandalism.

Creel said he doesn't think there is an active hate group in the county, but instead the vandalism is the work of individuals looking to "stir stuff up."

"They're cowards," Creel said by phone Wednesday night. "We're going actively investigate and were going to find out who did it."

Creel and FBI investigators are on their way to the scene at Mount Olive Primitive Baptist Church in Crawfordville.

Check back for updates.