Man yelled homophobic slurs while damaging a rainbow-painted porch, Missouri cops say

Charles Patton, a 33-year-old man from Illinois, is charged with a hate crime after police said surveillance video caught him making homophobic slurs while he vandalized a home in Soulard, Missouri, on May 24, KSDK reported.

Police said witnesses saw Patton “very drunk” at a nearby bar before he left displaying “erratic behavior,” according to KMOV.

The video shows him arriving at the home and punching out a rod on the porch, which was painted in rainbow colors, police said, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. He was screaming homophobic slurs and violent threats, stating “I’m going to slit your throat,” police said, according to KSDK.

The homeowner, who asked to stay anonymous, said his daughter was home at the time of the attack and is “devastated,” KMOV reported. His daughter and another tenant are members of the LGBTQ community and rent the property, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

He painted the porch to show his support, according to the newspaper.

“It’s hard enough for her to come out and be who she is, but then to be a victim of a hate crime like that, that’s very disheartening,” the homeowner said, according to KMOV.

Police said Patton caused $750 worth of damage, KSDK reported. He’s charged with “first-degree property damage with motivation by discrimination, one count of trespassing with motivation by discrimination and burglary,” and his bond is set at $50,000, the TV station reported.

This story was originally published June 10, 2019 at 11:49 AM with the headline "Man yelled homophobic slurs while damaging a rainbow-painted porch, Missouri cops say."