Balt. Co. Family In Fear After Possible Hate Crime
Balt. Co. Family In Fear After Possible Hate Crime
Reporting
Kelly McPherson
BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) ― A Baltimore County family wakes up to a gruesome sight, a dead raccoon, hanging from a noose tied to their front porch, and police think it may have been a hate crime.
A Baltimore County family wakes up to a gruesome sight, a dead raccoon, hanging from a noose tied to their front porch.
Kelly McPherson explains investigators believe it could be a hate crime.
Imagine waking up to a dead animal hanging on the porch.
“At first, I didn’t know what it was, so I just ran back into the house because it looked like a body. It was really big,” said Sherrie Hicks-Rose, neighbor.
It was the carcass of a large raccoon strung up from the porch rafter with a noose around its neck, blood-drenched.
“I was just thinking in case my door wasn’t locked probably the person was going to hang me and not the raccoon,” said Victoria Vonty, victim.
Baltimore County Police are now investigating this incident because if the person who hung the racoon on the Vonty’s porch intended to intimidate the family for their background or religion, this would be a hate crime.
“This case is a bit unusual. It’s not a normal case of something that we usually see, and that’s why we’re concerned and why we’re following up on this case,” said Lt. McCollough, Baltimore County Police.
The homeowner is originally from Liberia. She told police that her son recently had been in a fight with another boy, but she doesn’t know who could have done this.
“What happened this morning is telling me that somebody’s against me. That’s what it tells me. It’s a sign of communication that this is how I’m going to treat you,” said Vonty.
“We’re not sure what’s going to happen next. If you go as far as to come into someone’s property and hang a dead animal, we don’t know if that’s a message. We don’t know if that’s a threat; we’re not sure,” said Hicks-Rose.
The homeowner says she’s now telling her boys to be home earlier than before. The neighbor believes others in the community should come forward to solve this crime.
http://wjz.com/local/raccoon.hate.crime.2.1667957.html
