A member of a neo-Nazi group was sentenced Tuesday to serve at least 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to three assaults.
Timothy J. Dufresne, 29, of School Street, will serve at least 10 years in prison, said Deputy State’s Attorney Christina Rainville. After that, the rest of his sentence will be suspended and he will be on probation.
Dufresne was charged as a habitual offender because of past felony convictions.
He pleaded guilty to aggravated assault stemming from an April 25 incident in which Bennington police said he stabbed a neighbor, 25-year-old Christopher Strattman, in the eye with a broom handle after breaking it over Strattman’s head. Police said Dufresne and Strattman had been in an argument over items left on the porch they shared.
Police located Dufresne a few days after the incident hiding in the back of his mother’s vehicle under a pile of clothes after she was pulled over on Route 9.
According to another police affidavit, Stephanie O’Dell accused Dufresne of punching her in the face a number of times on April 10 near Pleasant Street. Dufresne and his then-fiancee, Sarah B. Ennis, told police O’Dell and another person instigated the fight, and they were assaulted as well.
A third police affidavit describes an incident on April 24 involving Dufresne and Ennis, and a number of other people. Police said Dufresne and Ennis got into an argument with a group by the Stewart’s Shop on Main Street. It progressed to the nearby cemetery where Dufresne sprayed a man with pepper spray. From that incident Dufresne was charged with aggravated assault by administering a drug.
Ennis was also charged with several felonies for threatening members of the group with a BB gun. Those charges were lowered to misdemeanors, and the state also decided not to pursue the charges as hate crimes. Ennis was given a 18- to 36-month suspended sentence.
Dufresne told the Banner in an interview last year that he joined a group called Hitler’s Henchmen while serving a jail stint in Kentucky. Dufresne has a number of tattoos featuring Nazi imagery and racist themes.
Bennington Banner
Wednesday, 2 February 2011
‘Hate crime’ victims can tell all in confidence (UK)
Victims of crime motivated by hate or discrimination in Warwickshire are being urged to report it in confidence on a new website to help the police tackle the issue.
The county’s police force has joined forces with the Association of Chief Police Officers to launch the site, True Vision, which provides information about what hate crime is, why it is important to report it when it happens and sets out how to do so.
This includes a new form which enables victims to report hate crime online. The site also provides links to organisations that can offer support and advice on related issues.
ACPO’s lead on hate crime, Assistant Chief Constable Drew Harris, said: “These crimes cause a great deal of fear among victims and damages communities. It is vital that we close the gap of under-reporting.
“Only by increasing reporting can we gain a better understanding of the extent of hate crime and it is for this reason that I urge victims and witnesses to use the True Vision website and to continue to come forward so we can bring the perpetrators to justice.”
In November ACPO published its first set of national hate crime recorded crime statistics which showed that during 2009 the police in England, Wales and Northern Ireland recorded 52,028 hate crimes, of which 1,402 were motivated because of the victim’s disability.
Chief Inspector Mike Slemensek of Warwickshire Police’s equality, diversity and human rights unit said: “One of the greatest challenges is to reduce the under-reporting of hate crimes in Warwickshire. We therefore welcome the launch of the True Vision website.
“It will help encourage local people to report hate crimes – which are those crimes perceived by the victim or any other person as being motivated by prejudice or hate.”
To report a hate crime, call the force’s dedicated hate crome helpline on 0845 129 2221 or visit the new website.
Kenilworth Weekly News
The county’s police force has joined forces with the Association of Chief Police Officers to launch the site, True Vision, which provides information about what hate crime is, why it is important to report it when it happens and sets out how to do so.
This includes a new form which enables victims to report hate crime online. The site also provides links to organisations that can offer support and advice on related issues.
ACPO’s lead on hate crime, Assistant Chief Constable Drew Harris, said: “These crimes cause a great deal of fear among victims and damages communities. It is vital that we close the gap of under-reporting.
“Only by increasing reporting can we gain a better understanding of the extent of hate crime and it is for this reason that I urge victims and witnesses to use the True Vision website and to continue to come forward so we can bring the perpetrators to justice.”
In November ACPO published its first set of national hate crime recorded crime statistics which showed that during 2009 the police in England, Wales and Northern Ireland recorded 52,028 hate crimes, of which 1,402 were motivated because of the victim’s disability.
Chief Inspector Mike Slemensek of Warwickshire Police’s equality, diversity and human rights unit said: “One of the greatest challenges is to reduce the under-reporting of hate crimes in Warwickshire. We therefore welcome the launch of the True Vision website.
“It will help encourage local people to report hate crimes – which are those crimes perceived by the victim or any other person as being motivated by prejudice or hate.”
To report a hate crime, call the force’s dedicated hate crome helpline on 0845 129 2221 or visit the new website.
Kenilworth Weekly News
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