A detective on Monday interviewed the man, who admitted distributing the fliers, police said. Chittenden County State’s Attorney T.J. Donovan is weighing whether to charge him with a crime, police said.
The man is cooperating with police, and his statements have been corroborated with video and fingerprint evidence, police said. Because he has not been charged with a crime, police said, they are refraining from revealing who he is.
“Identifying this man was the product of excellent detective work by Burlington investigators,” Chief Brandon del Pozo said in a prepared statement. “It was the culmination of tips provided by both the community and the FBI, forensic and video analysis, and a thorough investigation. On its face, the placement of a handful of fliers in semi-public places is a very difficult case to solve. That our detective bureau was able to identify and find the person thought to be behind this act is a testament to their skill and professionalism, especially that of Detective Nash. It demonstrates that a relationship of trust between the police and the community can generate the leads that ultimately solve cases.”
When the father of a woman who received a flier contacted police, a dispatcher told him no crime had been committed — a reaction del Pozo later called a mistake. Local activists have described the incident as a hate crime. The fliers said, “Join the Klan, Save our Land.”
Activists staged a rally outside Burlington City Hall last week in which they decried the fliers and the police response.
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Political correctness gone mad. I suspected this is what the idea of “hate crime” would come to. The dispatcher was right. No crime here.
How is that act not one of harrassment? Those citizens were targeted due to the color of their skin and he posted flyers to the doors of their home. His goal must of been to evoke fear. I believe a crime here was committed.
It doesn’t break any laws protected by the amendments right of free speech. Kkk fliers happen all the time. Its never been this serious. If blacks can have the naacp then where’s the naawp? White lives matter too!
I’m no fan of the KKK, but I am a fan of the First Amendment, and other laws, properly applied. So I would be dismayed if it turns out that posting a flier on someone’s door (if that’s what was done) is illegal, when that flier contains no incitement to violence (if that was the case). I will watch this case with interest; we should realize that we *all* have something at stake here, irrespective of the racism that any civil person would decry.