LANCASTER, Pa. — A Harrisburg man who spray painted swastikas at a Millersville University residence hall last year was sentenced to community service 40 months of community service and other conditions as part of a plea agreement, court records show.
Ethan Rosencrans, 21, pleaded guilty to a single count of institutional vandalism in connection to the October 2023 incident, which occurred while he was visiting friends on the campus.
In addition to community service, Rosencrans must undergo a mental health evaluation and follow recommended treatment, pay more than $600 in fines, and maintain full-time employment, according to the terms of a sentence issued this week by Lancaster County Judge Warren Spahn.
The terms are part of an accelerated rehabilitative disposition program agreed to by Spahn as part of the plea deal. If Rosencrans completes the program, his record will be expunged.
Rosencrans was charged last year after students found swastikas painted on a sidewalk outside the East Village Suites, a student residence hall, at about 5:25 a.m. on October 30.
Another swastika was found in the building's elevator, authorities said at the time.
Investigators consulted the university's security camera system to identify him as the suspect. He was seen on-camera bending down and drawing on the sidewalk in front of the residence hall. He and two other students were later seen boarding the East Village Suites elevator where the second swastika was found.
Rosencrans admitted to drawing the swastikas in an interview with police, claiming he did not intend to attack the Jewish community. Rosencrans said he understood the impact of his actions and apologized to police.
