Dec 26, 2024 Story by: Editor
MACON, Ga. (WGXA) — The NAACP‘s Macon chapter is urging authorities to pursue hate crime charges against a man accused of setting fire to multiple houses and cars in a north Macon neighborhood.
Security footage from a home shows the suspect, identified as Scott Malkowski, approaching a residence, igniting a fire, and then proceeding to torch a vehicle nearby.
Malkowski currently faces charges including arson, criminal damage to property, aggravated assault, and simple battery.
Northridge residents joined the Macon NAACP in a public appeal for additional charges, specifically calling for the inclusion of a hate crime designation.
“These families have been traumatized by this act of violence, and we don’t want people to lose focus. We don’t want people to downsize these charges,” said Gwenette Westbrooks, a representative of the Macon NAACP.
One of the victims, Katina Atmore, expressed shock upon learning that hate crime charges had not been filed.
“As a community, we were unaware that he wasn’t charged with a hate crime. Again, it was election night. It was early in the election. He was very upset. He said some racial things then left. We did not know he was actually setting us on fire. We heard banging on our doors,” Atmore recounted.
Another victim, Cathy Southiere, revealed that while they received a letter from the district attorney’s office, they are dissatisfied with the lack of direct communication. Southiere emphasized the severity of the incident and the community’s need for acknowledgment.
“I think someone in the community should definitely call us because this was not just one house; it was three—no, it was four houses and six cars—and not to reach out to us is unacceptable,” Southiere stated. Source: WGXA News
