DRAPER, Utah — A former Utah man was indicted for a hate crime this week, and the man allegedly shouted racial slurs at a neighbor and young child then struck the neighbor with a “stun cane.”
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah, a federal grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday against 58-year-old Mark Porter, formerly of Draper.
The indictment alleges that in November of 2016, Porter shouted racial slurs at an African-American man and his 7-year-old son after the man moved into a residence nearby. Porter then allegedly assaulted the adult.
“…the defendant yelled ‘n—–,’ said get out of here to [Victim] and [Victim’s] seven-year-old son, and used a stun cane (a Zap Cane) to assault [Victim], resulting in bodily injury,” the indictment alleges.
The Zap Cane is advertised as a cane that contains a stun gun capable of delivering “one million volts”. The indictment classifies the Zap Cane as a “dangerous weapon.”
Porter was arrested in Arizona and will appear in a federal court in Arizona. He has been charged with one count of interference with housing, which is a hate crime according to the press release. If convicted on this civil rights charge, Porter faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The indictment was returned Wednesday and unsealed Friday.
