Md. man acquitted of ethnic intimidation, guilty of 4 more counts
A Maryland man was found not guilty of ethnic intimidation but guilty of criminal harassment, criminal trespassing and two counts of harassment in connection with a series of incidents in 2021 in Manheim Township.
Dillon Crabill, 23, of Manchester, Maryland, was accused of repeatedly visiting the home of Hispanic family members Juan and Rafael Diaz, shouting racial slurs and harassing them.
The impact on the Diaz family:A year later, York County family still live in fear after racial harassment allegations
Common Pleas Judge Harry M. Ness presided over the trial with Deputy Chief Public Defender Matthew Sembach representing Crabill and Deputy District Attorney Larissa Wright prosecuting.
Rafael Diaz testified that a motorcyclist approached him while he was mowing the lawn and started shouting to teach him a lesson, giving him the middle finger and shouting a series of racial slurs. Rafael later said that a cyclist returned with Crabill in a car behind him,
According to Juan Diaz, Rafael’s son, Crabill drove back that evening with a cyclist who harassed him both at his property.
Juan Diaz testified that two days later, Crabill and another individual returned to their home at night and began harassing them. Juan Diaz followed the two off the property until they turned onto a road towards Crabill’s property, where he said they gave him some killer treats.
“I live in a very isolated area and I watch these guys sneaking into my driveway and the…racial threats that they said were quite disturbing,” Juan Diaz said during his testimony. “We live with constant trauma worrying about what might happen the next day.”
Ethnic intimidation, referred to as a third-degree felony in this case, is any offense of arson, criminal mischief, or other destruction of property clearly motivated by the race, color, religion, or national origin of the victim.
Crabill is due to be sentenced on November 29.
Jack Panyard is a reporter for the York Daily Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at jpanyard@ydr.com, 717-850-5935 or on Twitter @JackPanyard.