Hyaenodon

2012 - Authorities say the woman who told police she had been attacked and set on fire in a Winnsboro city park made it all up. 20-year-old Sharmeka Moffitt remains in critical condition in the Regional Burn Center at LSU Medical Center in Shreveport, where she is believed to have undergone surgery Tuesday. Winnsboro Police Chief Lester Thomas said Moffitt admitted she set the fire herself and put the racial slurs on her car. Evidence at the scene confirmed what Moffitt told police. The State Police Crime Lab found her fingerprints on a lighter found at the scene. When Chief Thomas was asked about a motive, he said that remains unknown. The State Police will turn their evidence over the Franklin Parish District Attorney's office, who would be the one to file charges in the case. Many Winnsboro residents came to hear what Chief Thomas had to say, and were visibly upset when they learned what police had discovered. Moffitt's family released a statement shortly after the news conference ended. "Our family is devastated to learn the circumstances surrounding our daughter's injuries. While this was not the resolution we had expected, it is a resolution, and we appreciate the thorough investigation by the local and state police as well as federal agencies. We are sincerely sorry for any problems this may have caused and wish to express our appreciation for the outpouring of love, prayers and support we have received from friends, acquaintances, church organizations and government officials.

2016 - An alleged assault on a University of Iowa student last month has been ruled not a hate crime, as originally reported. Marcus Owens told police in April he was beat up by three white males who used racial slurs as they assaulted him. Surveillance videos from downtown Iowa City bars prove it was a false claim. Investigators said in a press conference Tuesday Owens instigated three altercations that night and sustained serious injuries in the second one, after racial slurs were used. Members of the investigation team say the surveillance video was vital to the investigation, as it is made clear Owens was not a victim of assault. The University of Iowa released a statement shortly after the conference explaining how the situation will be handled. "Our students, faculty and staff deserve to feel safe and supported, and that requires relationships built of trust and respect," the statement read in part. "We will be working with student leaders... this summer to prioritize actions we can take to improve our campus climate for everyone." Investigators say alcohol was involved in the altercations. The surveillance footage will be made available to the public on Iowa City's web page Tuesday.

2013 - Chesterfield police say a man who claimed to be the victim of a hate crime, actually set fire to his own house and car and spray painted racial slurs on his own home. Police arrested Olander Deshea Cuthrell, 41, and charged him with two counts of felony arson. Cuthrell claimed his home in the 7800 block of Little Ridge Court, off Newby's Bridge Road, was vandalized on March 15. Racial slurs were painted on the exterior and his home and car were badly burned. The FBI was brought in to investigate the possible hate crimes. At the time, Cuthrell said he considered moving out due to the alleged attack. "It's absolute anger because this is my home. This is where my wife and kids where my family lay our heads," Cuthrell he said after the incident. "For somebody to violate us like that, and to put our lives in jeopardy for no apparent reason is beyond me." Cuthrell said he had planned to use his car for cancer awareness, before it was set fire. He wanted survivors and victims to sign their names on it for his cancer foundation. Police later ruled the fires were intentionally set, ignited by some type of flammable liquid. However, they weren't able to find a motive. NBC12 spoke to Cuthrell's neighbors who were in disbelief. "It just doesn't make sense when we were all trying to reach out to them," said neighbor Cari Pasquinelli. "Then it all turned out to be not true." Now, Cuthrell is being held without bond at the Chesterfield County Jail pending a hearing in Chesterfield County General District Court on April 17

2016 - ALBANY - Three black University of Albany students who claimed they were victims of a bias attack while riding a bus have been charged with assault and falsely reporting an incident. A three-week investigation by the university police uncovered a video that shows the students attacking a 19-year-old girl on the bus. Two of them, Asha Burwell and Ariel Agudio, are from Huntington Station. Investigators say the three students instigated the fight and continued assaulting the victim despite efforts by passengers to stop them. Burwell said earlier in February that she and her two friends were physically and verbally attacked by 12 white men and women on the bus at SUNY Albany. She claimed it was racially motivated. When the students first reported the incident, the president of SUNY Albany, Robert Jones, came out in their support and condemned the alleged attack. "This matter is now in the hands of the criminal justice system," Jones said in a statement released Thursday, "I look forward to the resolution of this case." SUNY Albany student Jeffrey Rosenheck, who is from Bethpage, says the president was too quick to side with the three young women. "I feel that the president should send out an apology to the 12 students on the bus and the SUNY Albany community," Rosenheck tells News 12. No one answered the door at either of the students' Huntington Station homes.

2010 - A Chattanooga man claims he was the victim of a hate crime this weekend in the Churchville neighborhood where he lives. An unusual hate crime he's says is fueled by the fact that he is white. For four years, R.D. Flowers has lived in a small apartment on Cleveland Ave., but in the last month, he says he's been the target of harrassment that culminated this weekend in what he calls a hate crime. "Somebody put a lot of hateful speech on my truck, telling me 'get out of my hood', something that I suppose was someone's attempt to spell 'cracker' and a five letter B-word on the windshield." Flowers is one of the few whites in his neighborhood, which he says is the reason for the recent treatment. "I've been here four years before any of my neighbors were. I had a neighbor threatening me since I was the only white person in the area. He came out, he thought I was taking over, that this should be all black." Chattanooga Police investigated the incident and filed a report. "I just pointed it out to him and he said this is a hate crime. This is the first one I've investigated so they are increasing with the patrols, they're going to keep more of a watch on the area." Flowers says he doesn't understand the treatment. "You see my daughter, I am not a racist. My daughter has a black mother, you see all the bumper stickers, the Obama bumper stickers on my truck. Me and her both spent two weekends in North Carolina working for his election. I'm a Martin Luther King, Jr. follower, I believe people are known by the content of their character, not by the shade of their skin." He hopes new hate crimes legislation will put the harrassment to an end. "If anybody should know better, it's people who have experienced it because of having dark skin. This is possibly going to get some federal heat now because of the hate crime designation, and I hope it does."

Latino supremacy exposed

Jun 4, 2010 A CBS4 investigation has learned that Denver police categorized dozens of racially motivated assaults and robberies in LoDo and downtown Denver last year as "LoDo Wilding." Wilding is a slang term that typically refers to bands of marauding young people terrorizing strangers. In one such case, CBS4 has now obtained never-before-released internal police videotape of a brutal assault and attempted robbery at a light rail station Aug. 11, 2009. The videotape, captured by RTD surveillance cameras, shows a group of young black males attacking and trying to rob a white man who was headed home from his job as a waiter in downtown Denver. The tape shows the victim confronting the men after they tried to pick his pocket. A group of at least three young men then unleash a torrent of fists, kicks and stomps lasting for 22 seconds. While police have previously released other videotapes of LoDo assaults in an attempt to identify suspects and victims, none of the tapes were as violent as the one obtained by CBS4. Police would later round up the suspects and conduct multiple interviews with each suspect: Tabias Graves, Landae Woods-King and Nyere Goff. In videotaped police interviews made available to CBS4, all three intially denied having anything to do with the 30th and Downing attack. But all three later admitted their involvment. "I wasn't involved in a fight at 30th and Downing," Goff told detectives in his initial interview. "I'm being cooperative. I have nothing to worry about, that's what I'm letting you know, sir," Goff told detectives. But under police questioning, Goff soon changes his story, admitting his involvment. "If you see on the tape," said Goff, "The man (victim) tried to get me." Det. Tyrone Campbell responds, "You tried to go in his pockets, what do you expect?" Faced with the video and his confession, Goff pleaded guilty in April to one count of felony theft, and prosecutors dismissed other counts he was facing. Another suspect, Tabias Graves, also insisted he had nothing to do with the beatdown. "No I didn't see an assault, wasn't involved in the assault, didn't see the assault." But after detectives show Graves a freeze frame from the video showing him at the scene, he changes his story in a later police interview. "The dude was about to hit Nyere so I hit the dude and the dude fell." In May, Tabias Graves pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the 30th and Downing attack. As for the third suspect, Landae Woods-King, when police initially interviewed him they accused him of "going into the pockets of white guys." His response, "Who me?" But when Detectives talked to Woods-King again several weeks later, he fessed up, admitting to being part of the attack and hitting the victim twice and kicking him. Woods-King has pleaded not guilty to all charges he is facing in connection with this incident. All three suspects told police the attempted robbery and beating was spontaneous and unplanned. The attack victim suffered minor injuries and was unable to identify any of his attackers. But the videotape of the attack, couple with full taped confessions from the suspects, has given police and prosecutors strong evidence in this "wilding" case.

2015 - NuPhaeya Hassen tells a nice story but we can't forget about the White victims of hate crimes.

2009 - Dozens of Asian students who were attacked and beaten at South Philadelphia High School last week have opted not to return to school on Monday over concerns for their safety. Wien Chen, president of the Chinese American Student Association, released a statement Sunday saying the students will instead meet and discuss "real solutions" to address violence at the school. "It is our opinion that South Philadelphia High School is still not a safe place for us," read the statement. "Because we are Asian immigrants, we are targeted. We have been working with the school a long time, but the school has failed to provide a concrete plan to address our safety inside and outside the building." School District officials and police held a meeting with the students on Friday evening but the group said the meeting did little to address their concerns or ease fears. Tensions between black and Asian students at the school erupted in a series of assaults last week, leading to 10 suspensions and several students seeking medical treatment. Asian students at the school said a lunchroom attack left them feeling unsafe and helpless, in part because they say school security guards often turn a blind eye. School officials said last week's clashes strained efforts to improve race relations. "What gets lost in all of this is the fact that the school, the community and the students have worked hard over the past two years to foster that kind of positive learning environment," said James Golden, the school district's chief safety executive. The school, with some 1,200 students, is 70 percent black and 18 percent Asian. It has been labeled "persistently dangerous" by the state, even though assaults were down 50 percent from last year. In an effort to get the Philadelphia School District to take their claims of abuse seriously, more than 50 Asian students from South Philadelphia High School will boycott classes this week. The drastic move comes after 30 students were brutally attacked last week at the school located at Broad Street and Snyder Avenue. The students who are protesting met with Asian community leaders and law enforcement on Monday to urge them to put better security measures in place. 'We are afraid to get attacked! Inside school! In the bathroom, around the hallway in school," said Yung Ly. "When my friend got attacked outside the school and the district said 'We are investigating' but they did not interview us! How can they be investigating without interviewing us? We are the victims." The students are specifically asking for more school cameras and school officers. They also want stricter punishments for students who attack their peers. "If there's an arrest for aggravated assault or assault and it's determined it's because of their nationality, that is a hate crime," said Chief Inspector James Tiano. Investigators said 30 Asian-American students at the school were assaulted last week by a group of African-American students. 10 of those students were suspended from school and sent to alternative schools. School officials who met with the students said they have been and are working on a resolution to end the violence. "If they boycott or didn't boycott, I got the message. To me, the bottom line is that whenever kids get in a fight and a lot are injured I got the message. To me the most important things is to make sure it doesnt happen again," said Philadelphia School District Regional Superintendent Michael Silverman. The students plan to meet again on Tuesday at an undisclosed location.

2013 - LAKEWOOD, Wash. -- Ramona Tener re-lights the candles left at a memorial in honor of a man she considered a brother. "This is my brother's site. It's sacred to me now," she said. Tener's new mission is to find justice for a murder she believes was a hate crime. "They drove by and said something like 'cracker.' It was about him being white. He should be charged with the hate crime," said Tener. The fatal stabbing happened early Saturday morning in Lakewood along Pacific Avenue; Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier Tevin Geike was killed. Police originally thought the crime was racially motivated, but prosecutors are backing off that theory. In the 911 tapes we hear a description of the suspects. But we don't hear a motive. "Who stabbed him," the dispatcher asks. "I don't know, four black dudes in a black car," replies the caller. Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist admits that initial reports indicated one of the suspects said something racial at the beginning of the exchange. But after the murder, none of the witnesses could remember exactly what was said or by whom. "In order to prove malicious harassment, the prosecutor has to show that the defendant intentionally committed the crime because of the victim's race," said Lindquist. So if the death of Army Specialist Tevin Geike wasn't about race, what was the motive? "People commit stupid, sad, senseless crimes and as far as we can tell, this is one of them," said Lindquist. Hate crime or not, Ramona Tener just hopes Jeremiah Hill, the man accused of stabbing Geike, gets what he deserves. "He murdered an innocent man and a soldier - his fellow brother," said Tener. If prosecutors had pursued the malicious harassment charge, our state's equivalent of a hate crime, it would've only added three to nine months to a sentence. Instead, in this case, two of the men are charged with rendering criminal assistance. Jeremiah Hill is charged with first degree murder and could face 25 years to life in prison.

https://www.youtube.com/@UncookedVanilla

2010 - A series of car fires in Brooklyn, once thought to be a bias crime, is reportedly now being investigated as a possible insurance scam. Three cars were torched back in November in the predominately Jewish neighborhood of Midwood. Anti-Semitic graffiti was also found on a nearby van and benches. The incident drew denouncements from Mayor Michael Bloomberg and community leaders. The Daily News now reports police suspect the graffiti may have been part of a ruse to conceal an insurance scam. Police would not comment on the report, but a spokesman says investigators have not ruled out any possible motives.

Police are looking for two men wanted in connection with an attack on a Hispanic man on Staten Island. Police say a 50-year-old man bumped into a female on Port Richmond Avenue in Port Richmond around 4 p.m. on July 7. They say two men then approached the man and got into an argument. Police say the victim was punched in the face and repeatedly kicked when he fell down. The suspects are all described as being in their 20s and about six feet tall. There has been a string of alleged bias attacks on Hispanics since April. Police say another man in his 30s was also attacked a few hours later, but they are not linking the two incidents. At this time, investigators are not labeling the July 7th incident a bias attack; however, police say the Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating. Anyone with information about the case is being asked to contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-577-TIPS, by texting TIP577 to CRIMES, or by going to NYPDCrimeStoppers.com.

2011 - "It's just shocking.. I didn't even think anybody would do anything like that." Cops say a brutal battery on a woman in broad daylight, happened October 1st on Mack Road. "He goes up and punches her in the face. That's kinda the shocking part of the video. It's unprovoked," Sacramento police Sgt. Andrew Pettit said. After some taunting and laughing at the woman, she's attacked once again. "He takes a fighting stance, punches in the face. Knocks her right to the ground. He looks like he has no remorse and just walks away," Petitt said. Neighboring businesses called police. The woman didn't want any medical help, and didn't even want to make a big deal of her attack. But now, police say with her help, and the video capturing the assault, they have a better chance of prosecuting the suspects. "Especially with this video that's practially viral," Pettit added. "I got nothing to do with it. I mind my own business." That was the attitude of many locals who hang out in the area. They felt the attack was wrong, but it didn't surprise them. "Cars probably kept going by. Police passee, kept going by. They didn't pay no mind," another local said. "That's somebody's mother, somebody's grandma, somebody's auntie. But if you see where we live and you see the environment, it's a cold world." Police are investigating if this a possible hate crime, as they are trying to determine the woman's mental capacity.

2013 - Police believe Hispanics are being targeted for violence in a northern New Jersey city. Two attacks happened Tuesday. The first was before 3 a.m. as a 27-year-old man walked through Depot Park. "He was attacked by four black males, they went through his pockets, he fought back, they ran off, he had head injuries," said Captain Tim Torell, Englewood Police Department. Then at 8:30, a 47-year-old man was jumped at Palisades and James Streets near the busy main drag. He described his attackers as two 14-year-olds, being pushed on by a group of older men. "As they demanded money from him, one motioned to his waistband like he had a gun," Torell said. These are just two of six known attacks against Hispanic immigrant restaurant workers in recent weeks. Torell believes more attacks have happened, but victims are afraid to report it, because of their immigration status. Restaurant owner Oriol Acosta has a friend who was robbed. "They jump him, take credit cards, money, wallet, I tell them go to the police, or come tell me and I'll tell police," Acosta said. Police say this may be a gang activity spike they see around Easter and Halloween. "That coupled with they were wearing all black, and we have a gang in town that does that," Torell said. "I heard about it, I didn't know it was still happening, it's nonsense," said Omar Smith, an Englewood resident. Police have stepped up patrols and are asking victims to come forward to help them ID the suspects. There will be no questions beyond the crime asked. "We don't run crime victims through the data system, we want to help you," Torell said. But the fear may be overwhelming for some. "I tell them all the time, don't be scared. (But they still are?) They are," Acosta said.

2012 - PORTLAND, Ore. - Two of the four suspects involved in the beating of a teenage girl on a MAX train last month appeared in court Friday. Rakeshia Shamone Burns, 18, along with a 16-year-old and 13-year-old girl face several charges for the attack on 14-year-old Karley Buckland the day after Christmas. The mother of the suspects, 38-year-old Selena Estell Harris, was charged with hindering prosecution. Police say she lied to them about where her daughters were and hid them from investigators. The attack on Buckland was captured on a cell phone camera and the video went viral on YouTube. Court documents say that Buckland told police that after she got on the MAX at the Clackamas Transit Center, a group of 20 to 30 teenagers who appeared to be together also got on the train. Then three girls told her she had an "attitude" and then began to punch and slap her. Buckland told police she thought she was hit 10 to 20 times and suffered a bad headache the next day. Burns is charged with riot, assault, disorderly conduct, harassment, and interfering with public transportation. Her two half sisters, who are both minors, are charged in juvenile court. Harris faces a less serious charge but prosecutors say she has a lengthy criminal record, which includes eight felonies, one of which was an assault. According to court documents, Harris lied about where one of her minor daughters was, saying she wasn't at home. But officers said that "was not true." Prosecutors say the teenager was at home with Harris and "undercover officers watched her exit the residence." Another daughter and a family friend would not comment on the charges outside court beyond saying Harris is a good mother. Both Harris and Burns remain in jail and the two minor daughters are being held at Donald E. Long Juvenile Center. Why it wasn't a hate crime According to Portland police and the prosecutor in this incident, the case does not fit Oregon's hate-crime law. They said they looked at whether it should be charged that way. After listening to the video many times, the attackers can be heard saying things about the victim being white. Still, police and prosecutors didn't conclude it was criminal. "It doesn't meet the statutory requirements," said police spokesman Lt. Robert King. "It was not the motivating factor for the attack, primarily. And secondly, it's not the perception of the victim that that is the reason for the assault. While it's true that in the video we hear reference to race, that on its own just simply doesn't meet the law's requirement." The bottom line is it would have been a hate crime if the girl was attacked because she was white. The detective in the case had two deputy district attorneys review the evidence independently and both reached the same conclusion.

2013 - WASHINGTON -D.C. Police are searching for suspects after a man was mugged and beaten in Adams Morgan. The case is drawing attention because of a reference one of the attackers allegedly made about Florida teenager, Trayvon Martin. The attack comes two weeks after a jury acquitted George Zimmerman on murder charges in the death of the African American teen. Investigators say a man was beaten and robbed by three suspects along Euclid Street Northwest around 1:30 a.m. Saturday. According to the police report, one of them yelled, "This is for Trayvon Martin." FOX 5 is not identifying the victim, other than to say he is a 28 year old white man from Bethesda, Maryland. According to police, the suspects, described only as black males, approached him from behind, threw him to the ground and kicked him in the face and stomach. They robbed him of his iphone, keys and wallet. The victim's injuries were not serious and he declined medical attention. Police are investigating the incident as a robbery and hate crime.

2010 - 19 year old Maurice Gibbs was a football star at McKinley High School in Buffalo. He went off to Alfred State College to continue his football career, but around 2:30am on October 10th he was among eight people allegedly involved in beating a customer who refused to give up his spot in line at the Panda Chinese Restaurant near the college. "All of them are facing assault third which is a misdemeanor, and disorderly conduct which is a violation," Alfred Police Sergeant Paul Griffith said. Six of the people arrested were students at Alfred College and played football there with Gibbs. The school says they've all been suspended and also dismissed from the football team. Preliminary hearings are being scheduled with the school to decide the students' futures there. Police say originally it was thought this could be gang related or even a racial hate crime, but further investigation has ended that suspicion. "At no point during the investigation did that come up that this was a biased crime because of race or anything like that," Sergeant Griffith said. Officers say there could be another arrest depending on what they find in surveillance video at the restaurant. "I believe one other person that we're looking to identify in the video," Sergeant Griffith said. "And once we've done that he'll probably be arrested for the same charges." The victim is a 20 year old student at Alfred College. He suffered minor injuries. Police haven't officially released his name.

2013 - BALTIMORE—Residents in some of Baltimore's most popular neighborhoods say they're seeing a dramatic increase in crime. At the center is last week's brutal beating of a man in Little Italy. From Canton to Fells Point, neighbors are reporting a spike in everything from burglaries to assaults, but that senseless and brutal attack in Little Italy is really striking a chord with people. They're among Baltimore's safest and most popular neighborhoods, but Canton, Fells Point and Little Italy are reporting an alarming spike in crime. "Muggings, burglaries, break-ins during the day or night," said Darryl Jurkiewicz, president of Canton Community Association. Jurkiewicz says burglars are getting more brazen, breaking in while people are home. But one of the most shocking crimes in recently weeks happened in Little Italy. "It was such a random, violent act," said Scott Panian, who co-owns Amicci's. "It really affected us deeply." Last week, as one of Panian's employees walked home from work, a mob of at least 10 suspects brutally attacked that employee. The beating, caught on surveillance video, was viewed by several neighbors. "It was an attempted murder. They beat this boy. He got up and would run, they beat him. He got up and ran, they beat him. He got up and ran, they beat him.," said Giovanna Blattermann. Police quickly arrested and charged four teens with assault and robbery and are still investigating. Off camera, several neighbors say they don't believe robbery was the motive. A police report confirms the suspect took the man's cell phone, but not his money. Many people living in the area say they fear the beating was a hate crime. "When you see that videotape, you can't think anything else. It was like they beat him up for kicks so I don't know how you can describe it but some hate there," Panian said. Baltimore police declined to go on camera but insist the attack was a robbery and assault. They are not investigating it as a hate crime. Amicci's is now collecting donations to help pay for the employee's medical bills. Other neighborhoods are also banding together by holding crime meetings and in Canton, organizing community walks. "To get people more involved in what to look out for," Jurkiewicz said. The victim in the assault has asked that his identity not be released. If you would like to make a donation in his honor, contact Amicci's Restaurant at 410-528-1096. The three minors accused in the attack are being charged as adults.

2014 - DETROIT - A 16-year-old has been charged with assault and ethnic intimidation in connection with the beating of Steve Utash. The teen, who is in custody as a juvenile, will appear at the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Center on Saturday for a hearing. Ethnic intimidation is commonly referred to as a hate crime. The teen is one of five suspects who have been charged in the case. Police said 54-year-old Utash accidentally hit 10-year-old David Harris on April 2 while driving on Morang Street near Balfour Street. Police said the boy stepped out in front of the pickup and Utash wasn't at fault -- but when Utash stopped and got out to check on the boy, police said he was beaten by a mob, as many as 10 or 12 people. Utash remains in critical condition. Wonzey Saffold, 30, and 24-year-old James Davis are charged with assault with intent to murder and assault with intent to do great bodily harm, and 17-year-old Bruce Wimbush Jr., is facing the same charges. Latrez Cummings, 19, was taken into custody on Wednesday. He also is charged with assault with intent to murder and assault with intent to do great bodily harm.

2014 - A claim that leaves at least two White women completely bewildered. CityNews reporter Tammie Sutherland speaks with Beverley Salmon, Toronto's first female black councilllor, about the racial roadblocks she faced on the way to success.

2012 - She had accused the Whites of being racist. The Cape Girardeau teen accused of a hate crime pleaded guilty Monday in court. Mercedes Ayers, 17, was also accused of burglary, but the court dropped that charge. She'll be sentenced in November. Police say Ayers beat a woman outside her Cape Girardeau home in July while yelling homosexual slurs at her. Jeana Terry suffered serious injuries in the ordeal. Terry and her partner say they are surprised but relieved with the plea of guilty. "We didn't want to have to go to trial," said Terry. "They know what they did was wrong. I hope she'll use this as an opportunity to turn her life around. I'd like to see her finish school, that would mean a lot to me." Terry says she hopes the sentence sends a message, but still gives Ayers a second chance. "Everybody's life is changed forever," said Terry. "But, I don't want this to take her life away." The Ayers family did not return our calls or messages. In September, Ayers told us she has nothing against homosexuals and feels she and her family were victims of racism. Ayers says she wants to finish school, become a dental hygienist, and take care of her family.

On September 16, 2010, the Assumption Parish Sheriff's Office arrested Feronta Thompson of Napoleonville, a 17 year old Black Male 11th Grade Student from Assumption High School. He did cooperate with investigators and gave a full confession with respect to the violent threats made on Facebook. He has been charged for Terrorizing, Cyber Stalking, Hate Crime and Theft of Utility Service. Bond has not been set as of the time of this release. The Sheriff's Office launched an investigation Tuesday night after numerous complaints were received by parents regarding to racially based threats posted on the Facebook website. Because of the violent nature of the threats, several enhanced security measures were put in place. This included students being searched Wednesday and Thursday mornings before being allowed to enter the campus. The successful conclusion of this investigation was the result of the hard work and efforts of our Detectives working closely with our partners with Louisiana Attorney General's Office High Technology Crime Unit and the Louisiana State Police Criminal Intelligence Unit. Facebook, Yahoo and Charter Communications did cooperate fully with investigators and provided the necessary information, which assisted the investigators in determining the source of the threats.

2010 - An alleged hate crime has some parents in an uproar. Five black Baker teenagers were charged with felonies after a vicious fight broke out at a local park. Signs clearly posted throughout the playground attempt to set the tone. One of them reads "No foul language." But it appears that not everyone paid close attention. "One of them referred to one of the children as a beaner," said Lt. James Broussard with the Baker Police department. He says that statement set off a series of events that lead to a knock-down, drag-out fight. According to police, five teens stopped at the park near the Baker Municipal Building after school on Tuesday. They reportedly called a Hispanic child a derogatory name. That's when police say the mother of that child and her friend stepped in to defend the child. Katrina Franklin, whose two daughters were among the teens arrested, claims one of the Hispanic woman spit at her 17-year-old and that led to the fight. "They told my kids, not only my kids, all of the kids that they need to take their n-word back to Africa," said Franklin. Franklin says she's not sure why the teens were all arrested, but the two grown women involved were not. Lt. Broussard says that's because the ladies in this case are the victims. He says the women were knocked to the ground while being punched and kicked repeatedly. Both women even claimed to have blacked out because of the blows to their heads. Now Franklin's teens and three others face hefty charges. "I'm really hurt and I'm scared," said Franklin. "Because they charged these kids with these crimes that you would have to actually look over your back for." Broussard says he's certain Tuesday's fight was an isolated incident. It is not a trend police are seeing in the Baker area. Broderick Ford and Trenisha Franklin, both 17, are charged with felony second-degree battery, hate crime, disturbing the peace and contributing to the delinquency of juveniles. Three juveniles were also booked on hate crime, disturbing the peace and second degree battery.

2009 - Nine suspects accused of racially motivated attacks in and around downtown Denver made their first court appearances Wednesday. In some of the cases the suspects are accused of taking part in assaults and robberies that were part of gang initiations. Alexander Bunting is among those accused of taking part in such an initiation. He is charged in connection with an incident that occurred at 17th and Market in September in which a 24-year-old man suffered a skull fracture. Also advised before a judge Wednesday were Christopher Rodney and Landae Woods-King. Both are charged with assaults and robbery in separate cases. These are among the two dozen or so cases that are expected to be filed with charges in the coming days involving assaults that occurred in and around the downtown and LoDo areas over the past four months.