Daniel Clark a 20-year-old of Mansfield was due in Rockville Superior Court Monday on charges of vandalizing areas of a University of Connecticut residence hall, according to University Spokesperson Stephanie Reitz.
Clark was arrested late Thursday by UConn Police. The arrest comes after a vandalism incident that took place at Busby Suites on March 3.
“The incident consisted of racist and homophobic remarks written on walls as well as cleaning products poured on floors, and broken ceiling tiles,” reads a media release from UConn Police.
Clark is charged with third-degree intimidation based on bigotry or bias, as well as first-degree criminal trespass and second-degree criminal mischief, according to the media release.
Clark has no affiliation with the university and had been visiting a UConn resident, according to Reitz. However, the trespass charge was in regard to Clark’s alleged violation of a no-trespass order issued by UConn Police in 2021 after a number of previous incidents, and the criminal mischief charge relates to an incident from 2020 in which he allegedly caused $9,000 of damage to fields at a UConn farm with his vehicle.
Including the two recent arrests, UConn Police have interacted with Clark four times since 2020, according to Reitz.
In November 2020, Clark was issued a misdemeanor summons “for allegedly spray-painting explicit graffiti, including his nickname ‘Danny Fast Hands,’ on a wall near an administrative building,” Reitz said.
In December 2020, Clark was charged with having weapons in his vehicle after UConn Police stopped him on UConn-owned property in Downtown Storrs, according to Reitz. The weapons resembled regular firearms but were later determined to be BB and pellet guns.
Clark also admitted to spray-painting his nickname on the UConn Spirit Rock, covering the “Black Lives Matter” message, according to UConn Police records. Though it was determined not to be a criminal offense, the incident led the university to update its rock-painting policy to limit painting just to students and student groups.
“[Clark] was released from police custody on bond of $2,500 cash/surety on the charges related to criminal mischief on the UConn agricultural land, and $7,000 surety on the charges related to the incident at Busby Suites,” said Reitz. “He also is required to stay off all UConn property, both as a condition of his bond and through the previously enacted no-trespass order.”
