Police suspect Prop. 8 behind vandalism

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FARMINGTON, Utah, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Police in Utah say a recent rash of vandalism in parts of the state may be motivated by California's passage of Proposition 8.

Wayne Hansen, police chief of Farmington, Utah, said police are concerned that acts of vandalism in the state's Wasatch Front could have been brought about by Proposition 8's ban on same-sex marriages in California, The Salt Lake Tribune said Monday.

The new rash of vandalism appears to be targeting churches in Utah and California including sites belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which backed Proposition 8.

Ogden Police Lt. Scott Sangberg said while Utah authorities suspect the targeting of churches to be a response to the same-sex ban, there has been no definitive evidence for such a claim.

"Does it look a little suspicious that all these things are happening since Proposition 8? It sure does, but we don't have any witnesses to help pinpoint, accuse or even make an

arrest," Sangberg told the Tribune.

Among the vandalism acts were a burning Book of Mormon and an LDS church being tagged with the line "Nobody is born a bigot."