Cane stun gun racial assault brings federal hate crime count
A man accused of yelling racial epithets and using a cane stun gun to assault an African American has been indicted on federal hate crimes charges in Utah.
Mark Olic Porter, formerly of Draper, Utah, was arrested last week by the FBI in Arizona and will be extradited to Salt Lake City to face the federal indictment returned on Sept. 13.
Porter, 58, is charge with one count of interference with housing. The federal civil rights law carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The alleged crime occurred last November 3, charging documents allege, after a black man and his 7-year-old son moved into housing near Porter鈥檚 residence in the Salt Lake City suburb.
Porter is alleged to have yelled, 鈥淣-----, get out of here,鈥� at the victim and his son. Porter then used his walking cane, equipped with a stun gun device, to assault the boy鈥檚 father, who suffered bodily injuries as a result, court documents say.
Initially, Porter was charged with state charges stemming from the incident, but they were dropped after the federal hate crime investigation was launched.
