Rochester, NY — Glen Nicodemus, a 59-year old white man who says he is a member of the Ku Klux Klan, has been arrested and charged with harassment after he allegedly sprayed Jaiden Rodriguez, a 14-year old Black teen with a water hose. A video of the incident even showed Nicodemus shouting racial slurs and cursing at the young boy.
Police said the incident on August 14th happened after Nicodemus thought a group of kids, including Rodriguez, who was walking by his home were the ones allegedly harassing his mother.
In the video taken by one of the kids, Nicodemus can be seen arguing with the kids in front of his house. He told them he was “a member of the Ku Klux Klan” and warned that he “shouldn’t be f—– with the Klan” and called him the n-word.
Eventually, Nicodemus grabbed his garden hose and sprayed water to the teen as he was walking away with his friends.
Christina Poles, Rodriguez’s mother who later posted the video to Facebook, reported the incident to police.
However, according to the New York State Police Hate Crimes Unit and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, the incident did not rise to the level of a hate crime.
“[Nicodemus] said some stupid things… but there’s no hate crime here. Just harassment,” Steven Clancey, the chief of police with the Rochester Police Department, told ABC News.
Nicodemus, who was later determined not a member of the KKK, was arraigned last week but was released on his own recognizance. A judge issued an order of protection for Rodriguez.
“The charges that he got charged with, I get more for jay-walking,” Poles said about Nicodemus’ charges. “It’s like the laxest punishment I’ve ever seen.”