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    • A man from Macomb Co. accused of going on a rampage against volunteers Harris-Walz charged with assault, hate crimes
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    A man from Macomb Co. accused of going on a rampage against volunteers Harris-Walz charged with assault, hate crimes

    Online Niel Posted on

    St. Clair Shores – A 55-year-old man has been charged with multiple counts of assault and hate crimes after Macomb County prosecutors said he allegedly hurled homophobic slurs before driving his car towards the volunteers distributed literature last month for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

    Jason Lafond of St. Clair Shores was arraigned late Thursday afternoon in 40th District Court in St. Louis. Clair Shores and was released on personal recognizance after pleading not guilty to three counts of felonious assault and three counts of ethnic intimidation, Macomb County District Attorney Pete Lucido said Friday.

    The latter violates Michigan Hate Crimes Act, which includes sexual orientation.

    District Judge Mark Fratarcangeli ordered Lafond to wear a GPS device and refrain from contacting the alleged victims, Lucido said.

    “There were three people distributing campaign materials, which is why there are three accounts each,” Lucido said of the Oct. 12 incident.

    Felony assault is punishable in Michigan by up to four years in prison, while the hate crime charge carries a two-year prison sentence.

    Lafond’s attorney, Joseph Arnone, said he is still awaiting discovery in the case.

    “We will proceed with the presumption of innocence,” he said. “I’ll be interested to see what the investigation finds.”

    According to Lucido and witnesses who spoke to The Detroit News, Lafond allegedly drove to the lot outside the Bruce Post VFW on Jefferson Avenue near Martin, where a tent featuring Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump had previously been set up.

    When the volunteers told Lafond they were with the Harris-Walz campaign, he allegedly became enraged and hurled anti-gay slurs at them. Lafond allegedly got into his car, revved the engine and drove toward three of the victims before stopping a few feet away, Lucido said.

    “The car was the weapon that he used, which is why it’s a felonious assault (charge),” the prosecutor said.

    Melissa Crook, a resident of St. Clair Shores, who told The News she was standing in the path of Lafond’s vehicle when he drove toward them, said she was happy charges were filed against the defendant.

    “I’m thankful that the process is working as intended and no one is playing politics with it,” she said.

    Lucido said his office does not have deputy investigators and made the charging decision based on a report provided by St. Louis police. Clair Shores, who did not return a phone call Friday.

    “We have some former police officers investigating, but we don’t have deputy investigators like (Wayne County District Attorney) Kym Worthy, so I can’t conduct my own investigation and we have to rely on what’s in the police report. Lucido said. “Their report was based on statements made by witnesses and statements made by the suspect after he spoke to police.”

    Crook said she and her fellow volunteers did not record Lafond’s alleged crimes with their cell phones and that the VFW hall did not have a video camera ready in the area.

    An employee at the Kaul Funeral Home, across the street from where the incident allegedly took place, told the News that there are no surveillance cameras at the facility.

    Lucido said that St. Clair Shores received a description of Lafond’s Mercedes after volunteers called 911 to report the alleged incident. When city officers stopped Lafond for a traffic violation the next day, they questioned him about his involvement in the alleged hate crime and assault.

    When asked if Lafond had confessed, Lucido said, “I can’t get into that right now. My decision to press charges is based on the police report in St. Clair Shores, which included statements made by witnesses and the defendant. Other than that, I’ll just say we’ll present the case we have when the time comes.”

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