Ohio Cross-Burning Case: Brandon Rhodes Pleads Guilty

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A man has pleaded guilty to a civil rights charge in the case of a wooden cross bearing a racial slur that was burned in the yard of a black Ohio family.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker says one of people's most basic rights is to be safe in their homes and calls the case a tragedy for everyone.

A federal complaint alleged Rhodes and a juvenile co-conspirator, who are white, also wrote "KKK will make you pay" on the cross burned in Morrow County last March.

The juvenile pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor counts of aggravated menacing.

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Comments

[MoeB]

11:26 AM on 03/06/2012

Oh, boy...cross burnings, voter suppression, women having to fight for equality still...what is this, 1950???

[Tracy Harmon]

11:38 AM on 03/05/2012

A misdemeanor, eh? I certainly think the charges should be higher for a hate crime and threatening someone.

[glomtt]

10:15 PM on 03/04/2012

Makes me sad stuff like this is still happening!

[carmenalex]

05:04 PM on 03/03/2012

Jeebus, it's like we're going back in time.

[GOCmember]

06:27 PM on 03/02/2012

When, oh when, can we get beyond the color of skin?

[franklma]

11:36 AM on 03/05/2012

Not in America. Remember, America was built on skin color/racism.