UPDATE 1:45 p.m.:
Rabbi Simon Jacobson, the center’s director, showed FOX 4 extensive damage to the property. The fire happened in a classroom, Jacobson said. There is a charred cubby, broken window, and debris on the classroom floor.
The center’s front door is smashed open, with glass covering the ground. Black J’s appear to have been spray painted all over the property, including on the center’s wall, sidewalk, and entryway. Crime scene tape is up and multiple Punta Gorda Police officers visited the property as neighbors stopped by with tips.
Dennis Hanson is a senior warden at the Church of the Good Sheperd, which is just across the street from Chabad of Charlotte County. Hanson described the incident as disturbing and said the church stands behind it’s neighbor.
“You hear about these sort of things happening elsewhere but then when it happens in your own backyard, so to speak, it’s very alarming,” Hanson said. “And that’s why I believe that we all need to come together as a community and put an end to this in the ways that we can.”…