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ST. LOUIS COUNTY — Prosecutors on Thursday charged a former Affton School District student with property damage in connection with racist messages painted outside two Affton school buildings.

Patrick Sloan, 18, is charged with two felonies of second-degree property damage motivated by discrimination. His bond is $25,000.

He lives in the 9300 block of Lavern Place in unincorporated St. Louis County, not far from the high school. An Affton school spokesperson confirmed that Sloan is a former student. A social media post last May identified him as a senior and showed him posing with a diploma from an alternative school for suspended students.

According to St. Louis County police Detective Scott Stickman, Sloan admitted to a relative that he was responsible for painting the graffiti, and relatives and other witnesses identified him in a video.

The messages were discovered on outside walls March 7 at Affton High School at 8309 MacKenzie Road, and on Wednesday at Rogers Middle School at 7550 MacKenzie.

Police said the messages on the buildings included racial slurs, swastikas, and the phrase "Wite Power."

Charges say Sloan painted the hateful messages "because of the race and/or religion of students and staff members of the school district."

Police said Sloan stole two cans of black spray paint from a hardware store March 6. A surveillance camera at the store showed the thief dressed in all black, including a black raincoat and a bandana covering his face, police said.

at Rogers Middle School showed a vandal in all black clothing spray painting a wall about 5 a.m. Wednesday.

Sloan did not have an attorney listed Thursday in online court records. The he is charged with are the least severe class of felony in Missouri, punishable by up to four years in prison or a year in jail. The court can also impose a fine up to $10,000.

Monica Obradovic of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.