Stuart resident Diamond Littlejohn speaks to media Thursday morning.

Stuart Police Chief Dave Reha

Law enforcement responded to racially-motivated graffiti that was found on a Stuart residence Thursday morning.

Adair County Dispatch received a call at 7:33 a.m. from Diamond Littlejohn, a resident of the Kading Properties apartment complex, reporting that someone had spray painted a racial slur on the east side of her apartment facing Adair Street near Southwest 5th Street. Littlejohn tells Raccoon Valley Radio she was alerted to the graffiti by neighboring kids who were waiting at the bus stop, and the Stuart Police Department promptly removed the paint that morning. Littlejohn is a single mother with three children, and she has enjoyed living in Stuart since January for the quiet small-town atmosphere and quality schools, and she says she has no plans to leave, “It’s not fair and I will protect my family to the fullest extent, so please don’t mess with us, don’t physically harm us because I will protect my family. I’m like a mother bear to her cubs, you want to do petty stuff like that, that’s fine as long as you don’t touch us, we don’t have any problems.”

Stuart Police Chief Dave Reha says there has not been a history of criminal activity at the Kading apartment complex, and he wants the public to know that this behavior does not reflect the town he’s served for 12 years, “It’s not fair, there’s kids around here, there’s a bus stop right here for the kids. This is not something that should be happening.”

The investigation is ongoing and if anyone has any information about the incident, they are encouraged to contact the Stuart Police Department at (515) 523-1896 or the Adair County Sheriff’s Office at (641) 743-2148. Raccoon Valley Radio will bring you more information as it becomes official.