POST FALLS, Idaho — A man was charged with a hate crime after he allegedly held a family at knifepoint while calling them racist slurs, as reported by KREM 2 news partner the Coeur d'Alene/Post Falls Press.
Charles J. Short, 45, of Asheville, N.C., is charged with aggravated assault and malicious harassment, both felonies.
Malicious harassment is Idaho’s hate crime statute. It outlaws intimidation or harassment of an individual based on a person’s race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin.
Deputies with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office responded around 9 a.m. Sunday to a Post Falls rest stop, where a family reported that they had been harassed.
A man told police he was with his wife and children in a grassy area when another person, later identified as Short, allegedly drove past slowly and waved at them.
Short later approached the family on foot while holding a knife, according to court documents.
The man, who is Black, said he told Short to leave his family alone.
Short allegedly opened the knife to expose the blade and told the man to “take a walk,” calling him a slur in the process.
The man said he grabbed a flashlight and held it up to defend himself. Short then allegedly lunged at him with the knife.
Witnesses said Short walked away after someone called the police.
When questioned by deputies, Short reportedly admitted to calling the other man a racist slur.
He said the other man was “disrespecting” him by telling him to leave the area, so he pulled a knife and “stood his ground,” according to court documents.
Multiple witnesses told police they saw Short lunge at the man while holding a knife and heard him tell the man to “go back to Africa.”
One witness said he watched the man attempt to shepherd his family away from Short during the altercation.
Police arrested Short at the scene.
The Coeur d'Alene/Post Falls Press is a KREM 2 news partner. For more from our news partner, click here.
