Lawrence man sentenced in federal hate crime conviction for threats toward neighbor
WASHINGTON (WISH) — A Lawrence man was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to making threats to intimidate his neighbor based on his neighbor’s race, according to the United States Department of Justice.
Shepherd Hoehn, 51, of Lawrence, was charged by criminal complaint for violating the Fair Housing Act. He was also charged with two counts of unlawful firearm possession.
Hoehn was sentenced to 46 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
“Today, Mr. Hoehn was held responsible for his vile conduct. We are a diverse nation, bound together by shared values and beliefs. We are also a nation of laws. Those like Mr. Hoehn who would betray our shared values and beliefs through behavior such as this rightly suffer the penalties our laws prescribe,” said Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan of the FBI Indianapolis Division in a Friday press release to News 8.
According to the complaint, Hoehn intimidated and interfered with his Black neighbor on June 18 in the 6400 block of Meadowfield Boulevard in Lawrence. He is accused of creating and displaying a swastika on a fence facing his neighbor’s home and for burning a cross above the same fence. Authorities say he also created and displayed a large sign with racial slurs, placed a machete next to the sign, and played the song “Dixie” loudly on repeat.
