Late last month, a number KKK fliers were discovered at the homes of two black women in Burlington. The incident sparked a number of rallies in Burlington by people protesting racism. Burlington officials announced on Thursday the arrest of a white supremacist in the case.
In a press briefing Thursday, live streamed by the Burlington Free Press, Chittenden County State's Attorney T.J. Donovan announced that 21 year old William Schenk will face hate crime penalties for targeting Burlington’s minority residents. “The threat is implicit in the content of the message. It does not pass the test for freedom of speech when it is a threat.”
Burlington Police were tipped by employees at a Kinkos, a former girlfriend in Plattsburgh NY and by the FBI which had monitored Shank on a white supremacist list.