MOUNT GILEAD, Ohio (AP) — A man and a teenager are accused of burning a cross bearing racial slurs in a black family’s yard in central Ohio.
Both suspects are white.
Morrow County Prosecutor Charles Howland said Friday that 20-year-old Brandon Rhodes, of rural Marengo, pleaded not guilty to five counts each of ethnic intimidation and aggravated menacing.
Authorities say a teen is charged with similar counts in juvenile court. His name and the specific charges were not released.
Sheriff’s Detective Marissa Hurst says a slightly burned, 6-foot-tall cross bearing racial slurs and the phrase “KKK will make you pay” was found March 3 in the family’s yard in Marengo.
Authorities would not comment on a possible motive.
An attorney for Rhodes could not immediately be found.
Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
