A Kansas man pleaded guilty in a federal court after he reportedly threatened a Black person in September 2019.
On Thursday, the Department of Justice announced that Colton Donner, 27, brandished a knife at the Black person and suggested that the victim did not belong in that part of town due to his skin color.
According to court documents, the incident occurred on Sept. 11, 2019, when Donner was driving his car and spotted the victim walking on the sidewalk. The 27-year-old approached the man with a knife in his hand and threatened him while yelling racial slurs and telling him Paola was a “white town.”
According to recorded census data, Paola has approximately 6,000 people, with 89.9 percent white, 4 percent Black, and 2.8 percent American Indian and Alaska Native.
“Using racially motivated threats of violence to drive someone out of their home or community is a deplorable crime, and the Justice Department stands ready to use our nation’s hate crimes laws to hold perpetrators accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Racially motivated hate crimes have no place in our society today. All people deserve to feel safe and secure living in their communities, regardless of race, color or national origin.”
U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard for the District of Kansas said discriminating against someone based on their skin color is a violation of their civil rights.
“Any attempt to deny someone an opportunity to live where he or she chooses based on race, color or national origin is wrong and a violation of that person’s civil rights,” he said. “It is the responsibility of the Justice Department to prosecute such offenses to ensure the equal protection under the law to which we all are entitled, and we take that responsibility very seriously.”
In November 2020, Donner was charged with a hate crime after a federal grand jury delivered an indictment against the Kansas native. He was charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon in a separate incident, WIBW 13 reported.
The case was investigated by the Paola Police Department and the Kansas City Field Office of the FBI.
“Every individual has the right to occupy a home free from racial discrimination, yet the defendant targeted the victim for no other reason than the victim’s race,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles Dayoub of the FBI Kansas City Field Office. “The defendant’s actions directly undermined the victim’s right to reside in a community in Paola, Kansas, and to enjoy the protections afforded under the federal civil rights act. The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, have no tolerance for this type of fear and intimidation and are committed to protecting residents regardless of their race, color, religion, gender, national origin or familial status.”
Donner faces a $250,000 fine and up to 10 years in prison.
