An Elmhurst College athlete was indicted by a grand jury this week on charges that he carved racial epithets, including a reference to the Ku Klux Klan, into the window sill of another student's dorm room.
Myles Burton, 21, of Libertyville, was charged in December with a felony hate crime related to criminal damage to property after he stood accused of carving racist remarks -- including "KKK," "Negro" and "I hate black people" -- onto the Stanger Hall dormitory, according to Patch.
If convicted, he could be sentenced to a maximum prison sentence of five years, ABC Chicago reports.
Desiree Chen, Elmhurst College managing director of public affairs, described the incident as "not at all typical for Elmhurst (College) and that’s why the investigation was launched quickly," TribLocal reports.
Burton, formerly a member of the school's basketball team, was charged alongside two former teammates, Samuel Ficker and Michael McCurdy, who both face misdemeanor charges and were suspended from the team because they were present during the incident, Elmhurst's student paper, The Leader, reports.
Burton, arrested on Dec. 8, is currently being held in DuPage County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail. He is expected to enter a plea Monday.
Earlier in the year, Burton also was ticketed for underage drinking, according to Patch.