Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Geoffrey Alan Lush, 50, has been arrested and charged with property damage of a religious building and sending a written threat after allegedly vandalizing Chabad UF’s property with antisemitic messages and sending threatening voicemails to UF Hillel and other religious centers.

According to a release from Gainesville Police Department (GPD), Detective Corporal Warren Meek’s investigation found that on the evening of November 23 at approximately 6:12 p.m., University of Florida Hillel received a threatening voicemail. The caller in the voicemail stated, “If you do not value the lives of children then we do not value yours at all. At all. May you burn in the fires of hell for eternity. Every single one of you.” The caller sounded like an adult male. During Detective Meek’s investigation, he discovered that other religious centers received similar messages via voicemail and email on the same day.

On the morning of November 24, the membership of the religious centers discovered several items had been vandalized. On a sign near the front of the building, the phrases “BURN IN HELL,” “CHILD N MURDER,” and “CHILD MURDERS” had been written. On a banner near the front door, the phrases “CHILD MURDERS” and “BURN IN HELL” had been written. Lastly, on the sidewalk in front of the building, a Star of David was drawn. Beside the star was an arrow pointing toward it, and beside the arrow were the phrases “STAR OF MOLEC” and “DAVID HAD D NO STAR.” As of this writing, the damage to the sign, banner, and sidewalk has already exceeded $200.00 in labor costs in unsuccessful attempts to repair the items. It is anticipated that the cost of repair will rise as the sign and banner will need to be replaced.

A review of surveillance footage from the building showed that at approximately 5:58 a.m. on the morning of November 24, a subject dressed in a long dark trench coat approached the center on foot from the east. The subject appeared to be a tall adult white male with light-colored hair that fell to the top of his shoulders. The subject was recorded vandalizing each of the three aforementioned locations before walking away back toward the east at approximately 6:02 a.m.

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Detectives with the University of Florida Police Department assisted the Gainesville Police Department with gathering information on Lush. The phone number and email address utilized to leave messages to these religious centers ultimately revealed Lush as the owner. On Lush’s social media platforms, he expressed similar beliefs to those expressed in the messages to and vandalism of the Jewish Centers. Lush even described other random acts of vandalism he performed on November 24.

Lush has one felony conviction for resisting an officer with violence in 1996. Judge Thomas Jaworski set bail at $150,000 with requirements for a GPS monitor, no internet access, and mental health treatment if released.

Rabbi Berl Goldman of Chabad UF released the following statement: “We want to thank law enforcement for their swift action in catching the offender and for their continuous protection of all citizens. We are grateful to the UF and Gainesville community for their concern and support, always. Antisemitism, hatred and bigotry of any type is never acceptable and must be called out in any form or when targeting any individual or group.”

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.