"I did it because I needed the money," Noah Miller said. 

He claimed a Jewish man paid him to do it. There was no evidence to prove his claim; no one else was charged.

"I don't hate nobody," Miller told Lancaster County District Judge Andrew Jacobsen before he was sentenced to a year of incarceration for it, plus another six months on a drug charge.

Miller, who pleaded no contest to criminal mischief enhanced as a hate crime and attempted possession of methamphetamine, also will have to serve a year on post-release supervision when he gets out. 

Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Tara Parapart said Miller hurt many people in the community by his actions. 

"This wasn't just spray paint on somebody's door," she said.

On Jan. 15, 2020, Lincoln police were called to the South Street Temple, 2061 S. 20th St., after members discovered swastikas painted on the front steps and wooden front door of the synagogue, along with slurs.

Parapart said a door had to be replaced at a cost of $2,333.

She said the temple had video of the vandalism, which occurred two days earlier. It led to Miller's arrest about a month later.

At sentencing, Jacobsen said whether Miller wants to blame himself or somebody else, there's nothing to excuse or justify the offense; and it's not something our society can tolerate.

"Nobody in this community should not feel safe when they go to a house of worship," the judge said.

LATEST MISSING PERSONS CASES IN NEBRASKA