Police Say Hate Crime May Have Been Hoax
AP, Feb 18, 2006
RICHMOND,Va. — Police investigating a possible hate crime in Powhatan say family members — not racists — are responsible for the epithets found on a black family’s home.
Police found the spray painted slurs at 2780 Ballsville Rd. The family renting the house told police they had come home on Feb. 3 to find an anti-black slur and the phrase “white power” painted on the house.
The FBI joined the Powhatan Sheriff’s Department to investigate at the request of state leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
But NBC 12 in Richmond reports police now say the vandalism wasn’t what it appeared.
Police offered no further explanation. But they said the crime apparently was not racially motivated.
No charges are expected.
