ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — Police said vandals have spraypainted racist grafitti on homes in Rocky Mount.

Real estate consultant Eleanor Larsen said she is angry because the four homes that were vandalized were on the way back from destruction.

"When people infringe on destroying somebody else's property, I find that it really makes me mad," she said.

The homes were old, turn-of-the-century mill houses that were being refurbished.

Police said the writing on the wall means federal charges for whoever did this.

"When we opened the investigation, we discovered that the vandals were associated with what is classified in federal statutes as a hate crime," said Chief William Hogan of the Rocky Mount Police Department.

For the most part, the damage is already cleaned up in two of the homes. The other two houses sustained interior damage only.