Some Americans take their partisan allegiances exceptionally seriously and have no qualms against acting out against, sometimes criminally, those who hold different ideologies and political opinions.

Such appears to be the case for Democratic Rhode Island State Sen. Joshua Miller, who now faces criminal charges for vandalizing a vehicle that featured a "Biden sucks" bumper sticker, the car-centric website Jalopnik reported.

Making matters worse, and potentially leading to additional charges, is the fact that Miller repeatedly lied to the police about the act of vandalism before he eventually admitted to what he had done.

State senator caught keying vehicle

A June 23 press release from the Cranston Police Department in Rhode Island announced that State Sen. Joshua Miller, 69, was arrested and charged with "Vandalism/Malicious Injury to Property" after he was caught in the act of "keying" or purposefully scratching another vehicle in the parking lot of a shopping center.

The driver of that other vehicle had called the police when they returned to their vehicle and both saw and heard Miller rip a deep gouge in the paint on the passenger side of the SUV and then walk away with a set of keys in his hands. The unidentified owner of the SUV immediately confronted Miller about what had just occurred but Miller denied that he was responsible and left the scene.

However, as was shared with the responding officer, the keyed vehicle's owner observed a "Re-elect Senator Joshua Miller" bumper sticker on the car parked next to his, pulled up a picture of the senator on his phone, and positively identified him as the individual who had vandalized his SUV.

When Miller later returned to his vehicle he was questioned by an officer about what had happened but denied having vandalized the other vehicle and seemed to imply that he had been victimized and harassed and threatened by the other driver, who he accused of being one of the "gun nuts" that have "stalked and threatened" him at the State Capitol building.

Miller also name-dropped the police chief, Colonel Michael Winquist, and insisted that he was well aware of the threats that the state senator faced, but the release noted that "Miller never reported any threats" to the colonel or the department.

Eventually admitted guilt when confronted with surveillance camera footage

The press release went on to describe how surveillance camera footage of the shopping center's parking corroborated the account of the keyed vehicle's owner and confirmed that Miller was the culprit of the act of vandalism, which prompted police to go to Miller's home and confront him with the additional evidence.

After having initially denied his culpability, Miller finally admitted to what he had done -- though he claimed that the victim had "dared him" to do it. The state senator then voluntarily turned himself in to be charged and arraigned by a justice of the peace and released on a $1,000 personal recognizance bond.

Colonel Winquist said in a statement, "Nobody is above the law, including those who make and enforce the laws. The Officers who handled this investigation did so with fairness, integrity, and without preferential treatment. I would expect nothing less from the fine men and women of the Cranston Police Department."

Gun control advocate could face additional charges for obstruction

The Providence Journal reported that Democratic State Senator Miller has served in the state Senate since 2006 and, among other things, has proudly sponsored gun control legislation that would ban and/or register all so-called "assault weapons" in the state.

He is due back in court on July 18 to be re-arraigned by a district judge on the vandalism/malicious injury to property charge that is believed to have been instigated by his opposition to the "Biden sucks" sticker on the victim's vehicle and, ironically, also involved him being identified and apprehended due to the "Re-elect" sticker on his own vehicle.

Local ABC affiliate WLNE reported that per City Solicitor Chris Millea, the state senator could also face additional charges of obstruction due to his initial lies to police officers once all of the police reports and the surveillance and bodycam footage of the incident are thoroughly reviewed.