Cops say Newtown store left a string of clues in faked hate crime

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NEWTOWN - Clues left at the scene of a fire and purported robbery last month at a liquor store on South Main Street quickly led detectives to the owner of the business, who had faked the crimes and then tried to shift blame to anti-Semitic attackers, police said.

Scott Young, the owner of The Rooster Wine and Liquor Store, told police that two men had robbed him at gunpoint before setting fire to the building. Investigators found a swastika painted on the building, as well as the words “Burn The Jew.”

Young told police that the suspects probably knew he was Jewish because he has a Star of David tattooed on his arm.

But investigators found spent matches throughout the store and a can of black spray paint under the counter, police said. They also found that the alarm system had been disabled and the battery removed from the smoke detector, court documents state.

Searching Young’s car, detectives found a number of bottles of expensive products, including Dom Perignon, several spent matches and an empty can of spray paint in the trunk.

Young faces a number of charges including arson and insurance fraud. He is being held on $100,000 bond.

Court documents note that Young took over the business about a year ago, after the original owner fell behind on his rent. Young had previously operated a liquor store in Meriden that closed in 2008 after he declared bankruptcy, according to court documents, which also show that he changed his name after the ordeal.

The Jan. 21 incident came at a time of heightened alarm in the Jewish community about anti-Semitic incidents, which have been on the rise since the presidential election.

Andy Friedland, the assistant director of the ADL’s Connecticut chapter, said the number of faked hate crimes is minuscule, but they distract from real incidents of hate speech and conduct.

“It’s very sad and troubling, if you view this in the context of all the hate crimes that are happening today,” he said. “Hate crimes have a unique impact on their victims and society as a whole, and we have to take them seriously.”

Recent incidents in the area include the painting of swastikas on a home and several parked cars in Danbury in November.

The ADL called on President Donald Trump to condemn the rise of anti-Semitism nationally after he failed to directly address the issue during a recent news conference.

On Tuesday, Trump said attacks on the Jewish community are “painful” and “horrible” after a tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

”This tour was a meaningful reminder of why we have to fight bigotry, intolerance and hatred in all of its very ugly forms,” Trump said. “The anti-Semitic threats targeting our Jewish community and community centers are horrible and are painful and a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil."

dperrefort@newstimes.com