Teh One Who Knocks
10-08-2020, 10:49 AM
By Joshua Rhett Miller | New York Post
https://i.imgur.com/i58tAy8.jpg
No charges will be filed due to a “lack of evidence” in an alleged hate crime against a biracial Wisconsin woman who claimed she was set on fire by a group of white men, federal prosecutors said.
Althea Bernstein, 18, told police she was set on fire at about 1 a.m. June 24 while stopped at a red light as she drove through a protest in downtown Madison.
Bernstein said one of her attackers — whom she reportedly described as “frat boys” — yelled a racial slur at her before she was doused with lighter fluid and set ablaze with a lighter or a match, burning her face and neck.
But charges won’t be filed in the case after a “thorough investigation,” including extensive interviews and a review of surveillance video, found insufficient evidence to back up Bernstein’s allegations, federal prosecutors said Friday.
“After reviewing all available evidence, authorities could not establish that the attack, as alleged by the complainant, had occurred,” the US Attorney’s Office in Madison said in a statement. “Accordingly, the federal investigation into this incident has been closed based on the lack of evidence.”
Detectives in Madison, meanwhile, were “unable to corroborate” or find any evidence supporting Bernstein’s claims, Madison Acting Police Chief Victor Wahl said in a statement confirming that its investigation had been closed.
“The Madison Police Department dedicated significant resources to this case,” Wahl said, adding that Bernstein was treated with “dignity and respect” throughout the probe.
Bernstein, of Monona, told police the white men who attacked her looked like “frat boys,” two of whom wore “floral shirts” at the time, including the man who allegedly sprayed her with lighter fluid, the Wisconsin State Journal reports.
But an exhaustive search of city and private surveillance cameras revealed no evidence of the attack and found no groups of white men matching Bernstein’s description, the newspaper reported.
https://i.imgur.com/6V1jpXP.jpg
Cops also found no fire damage to Bernstein’s Hyundai Elantra, and a dog trained to identify accelerants didn’t find evidence of them in the vehicle, according to the report.
Bernstein said she was attacked just hours after rioters tore down two statues at the Wisconsin state Capitol, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Madison police aren’t recommending that Bernstein be charged with obstructing a police officer, Wahl told the Wisconsin State Journal, adding that he doubted federal prosecutors would pursue charges against her either.
“We were unable to corroborate [Bernstein’s allegations], but we are not speculating on what did and did not happen,” Wahl told the newspaper.
Bernstein’s family, meanwhile, thanked police for their “detailed investigative efforts” while requesting privacy and declining interviews with reporters.
“Althea’s injuries are healing and the support of our community has been invaluable in that regard,” the statement read.
https://i.imgur.com/i58tAy8.jpg
No charges will be filed due to a “lack of evidence” in an alleged hate crime against a biracial Wisconsin woman who claimed she was set on fire by a group of white men, federal prosecutors said.
Althea Bernstein, 18, told police she was set on fire at about 1 a.m. June 24 while stopped at a red light as she drove through a protest in downtown Madison.
Bernstein said one of her attackers — whom she reportedly described as “frat boys” — yelled a racial slur at her before she was doused with lighter fluid and set ablaze with a lighter or a match, burning her face and neck.
But charges won’t be filed in the case after a “thorough investigation,” including extensive interviews and a review of surveillance video, found insufficient evidence to back up Bernstein’s allegations, federal prosecutors said Friday.
“After reviewing all available evidence, authorities could not establish that the attack, as alleged by the complainant, had occurred,” the US Attorney’s Office in Madison said in a statement. “Accordingly, the federal investigation into this incident has been closed based on the lack of evidence.”
Detectives in Madison, meanwhile, were “unable to corroborate” or find any evidence supporting Bernstein’s claims, Madison Acting Police Chief Victor Wahl said in a statement confirming that its investigation had been closed.
“The Madison Police Department dedicated significant resources to this case,” Wahl said, adding that Bernstein was treated with “dignity and respect” throughout the probe.
Bernstein, of Monona, told police the white men who attacked her looked like “frat boys,” two of whom wore “floral shirts” at the time, including the man who allegedly sprayed her with lighter fluid, the Wisconsin State Journal reports.
But an exhaustive search of city and private surveillance cameras revealed no evidence of the attack and found no groups of white men matching Bernstein’s description, the newspaper reported.
https://i.imgur.com/6V1jpXP.jpg
Cops also found no fire damage to Bernstein’s Hyundai Elantra, and a dog trained to identify accelerants didn’t find evidence of them in the vehicle, according to the report.
Bernstein said she was attacked just hours after rioters tore down two statues at the Wisconsin state Capitol, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Madison police aren’t recommending that Bernstein be charged with obstructing a police officer, Wahl told the Wisconsin State Journal, adding that he doubted federal prosecutors would pursue charges against her either.
“We were unable to corroborate [Bernstein’s allegations], but we are not speculating on what did and did not happen,” Wahl told the newspaper.
Bernstein’s family, meanwhile, thanked police for their “detailed investigative efforts” while requesting privacy and declining interviews with reporters.
“Althea’s injuries are healing and the support of our community has been invaluable in that regard,” the statement read.