MUNCIE, Ind. -- A Muncie man previously convicted of racially charged intimidation had his appeal rejected this week.
According to the Delaware County Prosecutor's Office, the Indiana Court of Appeals rejected 26-year-old Trenton Whitaker-Blakey's appeal to overturn his conviction.
Whitaker-Blakey was convicted on April 15 in Delaware Circuit Court 3 of intimidation, which is classified as a level 6 felony. Whitaker-Blakey was sentenced the following month to a total of 30 months in prison.
Whitaker-Blakey contended that there was "insufficient" evidence to uphold his prior conviction.
In its opinion, the Indiana Court of Appeals outlined its reasons for why Whitaker-Blakey's appeal was rejected, referencing the history of racist remarks being broadly used for intimidation purposes.
According to previous reports, an officer with the Muncie Police Department was walking toward Muncie City Hall on Jan. 18 when they were approached by a man, later identified as Whitaker-Blakey, who was reportedly crouched alongside a fully marked police vehicle before suddenly appearing in front of the officer. He was wearing a white face mask with two holes cut into it, according to court documents.
Whitaker-Blakey then reportedly directed a racial slur toward the officer who continued walking toward Muncie City Hall, court documents said. Whitaker-Blakey was detained later that day and transported to the Muncie Police Department headquarters where he was interviewed.
Court documents said Whitaker-Blakey reportedly admitted to having an association with white supremacy groups, even going as far as to state that he had attended gatherings. Whitaker-Blakey also reportedly told the interviewing detective that he had voiced a racial slur but it was not meant to be directed at the officer but "to other individuals that were in the area."
According to the opinion, Whitaker-Blakey argued that he had not directed the racial slur at the officer and that he had only worn the white sheet over his head in an effort to "stay warm."
"The facts of this case are very disturbing. In sentencing the Defendant, the Court noted that '[t]he Defendant has admitted to being affiliated with members of white supremacy groups and attends said organizations' meetings," Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman said. "Further, there is police records that associate the Defendant with the American Nazis Party hate group.' Bigotry, hatred, and intolerance have no place in our society. The Delaware County Prosecutor's Office will not tolerate intimidation of any kind, especially racially motivated intimidation."