The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office is investigating two swastikas painted on an abandoned barn in Standish.

A Standish woman, who does not want to be identified, notified the sheriff’s office on Jan. 12 about the swastikas – the emblem of the German Nazi Party.

She took photographs of the symbols, which were painted on the side of a red barn within a few feet of Richville Road – part of Route 114.

Deputy Donald Brown investigated, but found out that the property at 1193 Richville Road was unoccupied and for sale. The owners live out of state.

“He (Brown) spoke to all the neighbors, he looked at tax maps and he contacted the Realtor,” Capt. Scott Stuart said late Thursday evening. “He certainly put a lot of effort into this investigation, but it’s complex because the owner is not local. We can’t just go there and paint over it ourselves.”

Stuart said the realtor told Brown that she had been led to believe that the owner’s grandchildren were going to paint over the swastikas.

The realtor said the hate symbols would be covered up because the property could not be shown to a potential buyer if they were still on the barn, according to Stuart.

Stuart said the swastikas should be removed as soon as possible. “This appears to be an isolated incident. I don’t think they were directed at anyone in particular,” he said.

Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:

dhoey@pressherald.com