Retired Texas firefighter, 64, charged with a hate crime gets one year in prison for hanging a black baby doll with a noose by his black neighbor's door.

A retired Texas firefighter has been sentenced to one year in prison for leaving a black baby doll hanging in a noose outside his African-American neighbors' apartment. Glenn Eugene Halfin, 64, received the maximum sentence allowed under law Wednesday after pleading guilty to a federal hate crime earlier this year. 


The 64-year-old white man admitted to interfering with a black family's housing rights, which is a misdemeanor hate crime. Prosecutors say Halfin displayed the hanged doll three times near his neighbors' apartment and noted that the family had a young daughter who saw the display. Halfin's attorney said his client acted out of 'anger and frustration' because of an ongoing dispute with neighbor Dante Petty, 28, his wife and their young daughter. According to court documents, in December 2017 Halfin bought the black baby doll at Walmart, placed it in a noose and hung it from a railing 'directly in front of the only staircase the family could use to access their apartment.' 'Halfin did so, knowing that this display would be particularly intimidating for the family who had a young daughter,' court records say. Assistant US Attorney Nicole Dana called his actions 'reprehensible' and 'disturbing'. Dana also said this was not the only time Halfin had hung the doll in the neighbors' view - adding he had done so on three different occasions near the family's apartment. 

While the family was not present during Wednesday's hearing, Halfin apologized for his actions. His attorney, Brook Antonio said his client acted out of 'anger and frustration' due to mounting tensions between Halfin and the Pettys. Antonio said the neighbors, who lived above Halfin, would purposely stomp on the floors and poured urine and feces over their balcony which fell onto his client's porch. But a police report filed by Petty states that Halfin would throw eggs and dog feces on his car. Petty put a video camera outside his apartment which captured Halfin tying a rope around the neck of the doll and hanging it from the railing. Petty called the police and Halfin was arrested in Grapevine. Antonio explained the decision to hang the doll from the noose was not racially motivated and instead payback 'It's not a situation where he's a racist,' Antonio said. 'This incident is not who he is.' But prosecutor John Gore thought otherwise and said:  

'The Justice Department will not tolerate acts of intimidation and fear, or illegal threats against any individual or family because of their race.'  'We will continue to prosecute hate crime offenders,' Gore added.