Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Lakewood police probing bias incidents against Orthodox
Authorities are investigating a series of bias crimes in which Orthodox Jewish pedestrians are being targeted with eggs, police said.
Three suspects have been charged with bias intimidation and others are being sought in connection with four incidents last week, police said.
On Wednesday at about 8 p.m., five Orthodox residents walking along East County Line Road near Park Avenue were hit with eggs thrown from a white vehicle as it passed, police said. After one of the victims reported the license plate number, police were able to use the car's registration to locate its owner, a woman in Jackson. The woman's daughter, Stacey Krohn, 23, and Krohn's boyfriend, Edward A. Kerby Jr., 25, were charged after turning themselves in.
Upon questioning the Jackson couple, police charged a third occupant, Mark L. Johnson, 22, with bias intimidation and harassment. Johnson, whose last known address is in Bayville and who is currently on probation, agreed to come in to police headquarters but has so far not done so, Police Chief Robert Lawson said late this afternoon. A warrant has been issued for his arrest with bail set at $10,000. A fourth occupant, whose first name is Amanda, is still being sought. The five victims reported hearing the occupants yell "Jew" and "Kike" — a derogatory epithet for Jews — as they drove past, according to Lawson.
Earlier that day, the same carload of people are suspected of throwing eggs at other Orthodox Jews: first, a man who was struck in the chest while walking along Magnolia Drive at 9:20 a.m.; and, later at 2:26 p.m., a girl who was walking with her mother near the intersection of Squankum Road and Eighth Street. In the latter incident, the victims heard the occupants laughing as they drove away, Lawson said.
Police say they have video surveillance footage of the suspects buying eggs at a store in Brick. It's believed that Krohn drove the car while Johnson and Amanda threw the eggs, police said.
Friday saw yet another egging, this one targeting an Orthodox husband and wife pushing their child in a stroller. The family, while walking along Ridge Avenue near Brook Road at 3:49 p.m., saw a blue or purple vehicle pass slowly as its occupants threw what looked like garbage at them before driving away at high speed, according to Lawson. The parents learned it had been eggs only after seeing bits of shell on the child's stroller. Police are still searching for the suspects, who, when identified, will be charged with bias intimidation, which carries a punishment of up to 18 months in jail and a $10,000 fine, Larson said.
"Most of these people are young adults or juveniles from out of town," Lawson said today. "They're bored, and their idea of fun in throwing eggs at the Orthodox."
He added in an e-mail: "I view this as a very serious offense; even if the victim is not physically injured, the psychological impact can be profound, causing prolonged distress to the victim. Any persons caught harassing any of our residents based upon a person's race, color, ethnicity, religion, handicap, gender or sexual orientation will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible under the law."
http://www.app.com/article/20100524/NEWS/100524081/1004/NEWS01/Three-charged-so-far-in-Lakewood-bias-incidents-against-Orthodox
Three suspects have been charged with bias intimidation and others are being sought in connection with four incidents last week, police said.
On Wednesday at about 8 p.m., five Orthodox residents walking along East County Line Road near Park Avenue were hit with eggs thrown from a white vehicle as it passed, police said. After one of the victims reported the license plate number, police were able to use the car's registration to locate its owner, a woman in Jackson. The woman's daughter, Stacey Krohn, 23, and Krohn's boyfriend, Edward A. Kerby Jr., 25, were charged after turning themselves in.
Upon questioning the Jackson couple, police charged a third occupant, Mark L. Johnson, 22, with bias intimidation and harassment. Johnson, whose last known address is in Bayville and who is currently on probation, agreed to come in to police headquarters but has so far not done so, Police Chief Robert Lawson said late this afternoon. A warrant has been issued for his arrest with bail set at $10,000. A fourth occupant, whose first name is Amanda, is still being sought. The five victims reported hearing the occupants yell "Jew" and "Kike" — a derogatory epithet for Jews — as they drove past, according to Lawson.
Earlier that day, the same carload of people are suspected of throwing eggs at other Orthodox Jews: first, a man who was struck in the chest while walking along Magnolia Drive at 9:20 a.m.; and, later at 2:26 p.m., a girl who was walking with her mother near the intersection of Squankum Road and Eighth Street. In the latter incident, the victims heard the occupants laughing as they drove away, Lawson said.
Police say they have video surveillance footage of the suspects buying eggs at a store in Brick. It's believed that Krohn drove the car while Johnson and Amanda threw the eggs, police said.
Friday saw yet another egging, this one targeting an Orthodox husband and wife pushing their child in a stroller. The family, while walking along Ridge Avenue near Brook Road at 3:49 p.m., saw a blue or purple vehicle pass slowly as its occupants threw what looked like garbage at them before driving away at high speed, according to Lawson. The parents learned it had been eggs only after seeing bits of shell on the child's stroller. Police are still searching for the suspects, who, when identified, will be charged with bias intimidation, which carries a punishment of up to 18 months in jail and a $10,000 fine, Larson said.
"Most of these people are young adults or juveniles from out of town," Lawson said today. "They're bored, and their idea of fun in throwing eggs at the Orthodox."
He added in an e-mail: "I view this as a very serious offense; even if the victim is not physically injured, the psychological impact can be profound, causing prolonged distress to the victim. Any persons caught harassing any of our residents based upon a person's race, color, ethnicity, religion, handicap, gender or sexual orientation will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible under the law."
http://www.app.com/article/20100524/NEWS/100524081/1004/NEWS01/Three-charged-so-far-in-Lakewood-bias-incidents-against-Orthodox
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