Kent City Police and Kent State University Police arrested three Kent State students Wednesday in connection with incidents of vandalism that occurred downtown and on campus March 31.

Benjamin McKenzie, 18, of Kent; Edwin Knesek, 19, of Lyndhurst; and Michael Kelleher, 20, of Fairview Park, have each been charged with vandalism, a felony in the fifth degree.

The three suspects allegedly spray painted multiple businesses located downtown and on East Main Street, as well as buildings and structures on campus, in the early morning hours of March 31, according to a news release. The graffiti displayed the recognizable “V” symbol from the 2006 film “V for Vendetta.”

Kent State University Police and Kent City Police are working together and could combine charges from both departments against the suspects, said Matt Radigan, Kent State Police Support Services Manager.

Knesek, a freshman theatre studies major, and Kelleher, a sophomore geology major, were released Wednesday on $20,000 recognizance bonds. McKenzie, a freshman crafts major, was released Wednesday on a $10,000 recognizance bond. Preliminary hearings for the three have been scheduled at the Kent Municipal Court for the morning of April 29.

– Julie Sickel, public affairs reporter