Oct 18, 2024 Story by: Editor
A Wellington man has been sentenced to 80 months in prison for threatening Black individuals with a gun, using racial slurs, and making death threats, as well as violating the housing rights of a white woman by targeting her Black guests.
According to court documents, in July 2022, Austin Schoemann, a white man, had been drinking at a Wichita QuickTrip when two Black minors entered the gas station. Schoemann shouted “white power” and used his gun and racial slurs to threaten the teens. As they left, he continued the threats, and when a Black woman tried to de-escalate the situation, he directed his threats at her too. As part of his sentencing, Schoemann will forfeit his firearm.
This wasn’t an isolated incident. In early July 2022, Schoemann had sent violent online messages, including one stating, “I’m going to get rid of every [racial slur] in this town.”
Schoemann’s behavior followed a pattern of racial harassment. His plea agreement revealed that in December 2021, after ending a month-long relationship with a white woman, Schoemann became convinced she was dating Black men. Over the next eight months, he harassed and intimidated her Black guests, sending threatening messages to her, her family, and friends.
He moved near her home and began stalking her and any guests. Whenever he suspected a Black person was at her residence, he would stand outside, shout racial slurs, and issue threats. In June 2022, Schoemann mistakenly identified her mother’s car as belonging to a Black man. He sent her a photo of the license plate, smashed the windshield, and sent a message saying, “I am going to beat that [racial slur] to death and go to prison… after I pull all of his teeth out.”
Following this incident, the woman secured a restraining order, and Schoemann was arrested in May 2023. Despite his arrest, his Facebook banner still features a Confederate flag.
Schoemann’s plea agreement placed his sentence between 63 and 84 months in prison, but without the plea, he could have faced up to 10 years on three counts and five years on two counts.
“Perpetrators of hate crimes inflict pain upon victims in furtherance of a larger goal of breeding fear and divisiveness within our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Kate Brubacher for the District of Kansas. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas encourages those who are victims of or witnesses to hate crimes to report these incidents to law enforcement.” Source: Kansas Reflector
