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Florida man who defaced LGBTQ+ crosswalk sentenced

Palm Beach County Human Rights Council: Sentence an 'outrage to the LGBTQ+ community'
Delray beach crosswalk
Posted at 7:11 PM, Jun 08, 2022
and last updated 2022-06-08 20:05:08-04

The man who vandalized a gay pride intersection in Florida's Delray Beach was sentenced on Tuesday to two years probation, 100 hours of community service, a mental health screening and must pay $774 in court costs.

Alexander Jerich, 20, pleaded guilty in March to criminal mischief and reckless driving.

A rainbow street art installation there was unveiled to the public on June 12, 2021.

Two days after the unveiling, prosecutors said Jerich intentionally drove over the crosswalk, spinning his tires and leaving damaging tire marks.

Rand Hoch, the president of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, released a statement on Tuesday lashing out at the sentencing.

"This sentence is an outrage to the LGBTQ+ community," Hoch said. "The message being sent is 'Come on down to Palm Beach County, where you can vandalize cultural memorials all you want with no consequences.'"

State Attorney Dave Aronberg said last year that Jerich was originally arrested on a hate-crime charge, but prosecutors did not move forward with it under the letter of the law.