In a recent chilling case from Lewiston, Maine, Charles Allen Barnes, 47, is facing federal consequences for allegedly threatening his Black neighbor, authorities reported.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Barnes was apprehended on Tuesday, Sept. 12, and now stands accused of breaching the federal interstate threats statute. The charges suggest that Barnes, driven by racial motives, targeted his neighbor, identified as K.T., and her young son.
Details of the indictment reveal that Barnes utilized an online messaging platform to convey a menacing voicemail last August. Disturbingly, he proclaimed his intent to end the life of the first Black individual to leave K.T.’s residence. Court filings cite his explicit threat, which spares neither K.T., her child, nor her partner.
If found guilty, Barnes could find himself incarcerated for up to five years. The FBI’s Boston Division is actively probing the matter.
Following the unveiling of charges against him, Barnes voiced his frustrations on Facebook, as covered by Law & Crime. He lamented the negative fallout from the Maine Attorney General’s revelations, citing an array of personal challenges, including tampering with his vehicle and receiving threats against his life.
In a related incident from Alabama, Cheryl Lynn Pytleski was recently penalized with a year in prison for purportedly infringing upon her Black neighbor’s civil rights. As the DOJ explains, Pytleski intimidated her neighbor by displaying “racially offensive homemade dolls” on their boundary fence.