Tourist Charged With Harassment
COOPERSTOWN – An Ohio man was arrested for allegedly threatening and harassing a resident while on Main Street in Cooperstown.
Marcus Ray Walters, 40, of Waynesville, Ohio, was arrested by Cooperstown Police after an Otsego County resident reported being harassed and threatened for his sexual orientation. Officer Kevin Voce was able to identify Walters, who, upon learning that police were looking for him, surrendered at the station.
Walters was charged with the bias crime, a class E felony and posted $200 bail. If convicted, he faces up to four years incarceration.
That is inexcusable public behavior if the allegation is true, but I hope they will rely on more than one person’s claim someone else said something offensive before they put someone in prison four years. The problem is some people think they have freedom of speech, and others think they have the freedom to never be offended, real or imagined.
Good.