“All Americans have the freedom to decide where they want to live,” Man accused of yelling racial slurs at minor Black boy and threatening him with a knife will spend more than two years in federal prison

A 27-year-old man accused of threatening a minor Black boy with a knife as he was yelling racial slurs at him, was sentenced to more than two years in prison for the incident that happened in 2019. The sentencing hearing took place late last month and the Assistant Attorney General said that the sentence should serve as a strong message to all future hate crime offenders, reminding everyone that they will be found accountable for the crimes they commit.

According to the incident report, the now 27-year-old C. Donner attacked a minor Black boy on Sept. 11, 2019 in what appears to be an unprovoked attack. The court records indicate that Donner yelled racial slurs at the boy and threatened him while holding a knife in his hands. Additionally, Donner told the victim that he should not be in the area because his hometown is a “white town”, which is a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

The incident happened when Donner stopped his vehicle while he was driving through a residential area in west Kansas as soon as he spotted the victim who was walking on the sidewalk. Per a news release from the Department of Justice, Donner “stopped, got out of the car, and approached the victim while brandishing a knife. Donner threatened the victim, yelled racial slurs, and told the victim that the town is a ‘white town.‘“

In February this year, Donner pleaded guilty to one count of interference with fair housing, a charge pressed for violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. As a part of the plea agreement, the second charge against Donner, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, was dismissed. During the court process, it was discovered that Donner was not allowed to have a gun following a conviction for an incident that happened in 2017.

Two weeks ago, Donner was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison and 18 months of supervised release by District Judge Daniel D. Crabtree. He will serve his time at the federal prison in Colorado “to facilitate family connections as the defendant believes that this facility will be closest to family based on the expected security classification,” the local outlet LKS Times reported, per Donner’s case file.

The identity of the victim was not revealed to the public. In the indictment, the victim was only described as “D.H., an African American male juvenile whose identity is known to the Grand Jury.” Court documents do not indicate the victim’s exact age, referring to him only as a “juvenile.”

“Racially-motivated threats and violence have no place in our society today,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said. “This sentence should send a strong message to perpetrators of violent hate-fueled acts that they will be held accountable for their crimes,” Clarke continued. “Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure living in their communities, without being subject to racially-motivated crimes seeking to drive them from their homes or neighborhoods.”

“All Americans have the freedom to decide where they want to live, and to do so without fear of being threatened because of their race,” U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard also commented on the sentencing.