An unemployed Davis resident has been arrested and charged with vandalizing the Davis Islamic Center last month in what both state and federal prosecutors are calling a hate crime.

Lauren Kirk-Coehlo, 30, was arrested at her residence Tuesday morning following a joint investigation by the Davis Police Department and the FBI, law enforcement officials said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. Tips from the public triggered by surveillance video from the Islamic center helped investigators build the case against Kirk-Coehlo, said Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel, who cited the work of Detective Dan LaFond in conjunction with the FBI.

Kirk-Coehlo, a graduate of UC Berkeley, has been booked into the Yolo County jail for felony vandalism with a hate crime enhancement in relation to the early morning Jan. 22 incident, said Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig.

Kirk-Coehlo was also charged with felony vandalism to a church for the purpose of intimidating worshippers and using fear to prevent them from freely exercising their religious beliefs, Reisig said. The suspect faces up to six years in prison if convicted, and bail has been set at $1 million. Reisig said the amount was based on the severity of the alleged crime.

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