‘Maine Man Arrested’ for Racially threatening a neighbor

Maine Man Arrested for Threatening Neighbor with Racial Slurs

A resident of Maine, Charles Allen Barnes, 47, from Lewiston, has been arrested on federal charges related to a threatening voicemail he allegedly sent to a neighbor. The indictment states that Barnes used an interstate communications service to transmit a voice message containing racial slurs and threatening to kill any Black person who emerged from the neighbor’s residence. The selection of the neighbor as the target of the threat was allegedly based on their race.

Federal Charges Filed

Charles Allen Barnes is facing one count of violating the federal interstate threats statute. If convicted, he could be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison.

Announcement by Justice Department Officials

The announcement of these charges was made by Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee for the District of Maine, and Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI Boston Division.

Investigation by FBI Boston Division

The case was investigated by the FBI Boston Division.

Prosecution Team

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheila W. Sawyer for the District of Maine and Trial Attorney Alec Ward of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are responsible for prosecuting the case.

Hate Crimes Resources

For more information and resources related to the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat hate crimes, you can visit www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.

Presumption of Innocence

It’s important to note that an indictment is an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.