CARLTON, NY (WKBW/WHAM) - Five teens have been arrested after worshipers at a rural mosque in Carlton, NY in Orleans County say they were the target of violence and obscene behavior.
Orleans County Sheriffs say the five teens, all from Holley, NY, were allegedly traveling in front of the World Sufi Foundation mosque beeping car horns and yelling obscenities during a religious service.
Mark Vendetti, 17, Tim Weader, 17, Dylan Phillips, 18, Jeff Donahue, 18, and Anthony Ogden, 18,, have been charged with disrupting a religious service, a misdemeanor charge. The five teens will appear in Town of Carlton Court on September 6.
Mark Vendetti was also charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon, second degree. Vendetti is accused of firing a shotgun in the area of the mosque on August 27. Vendetti was arraigned on the weapons charge and remanded to the Orleans County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail.
The same individuals are alleged to have driven by the mosque, performing similar behavior on August 27. It was during this incident that police say Mr. Vendetti allegedly fired a weapon.
Police say the incident remains under investigation and more charges are expected to be filed.
Worshipers say the harassment has been happening for years, and most recently over the past few days as mosque members have just begun the observance of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
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