Man, Pretending To Be A Cop Charged With Anti Gay Hate Crime


Okay. I think we may have another self-loathing closet case spending too much time and energy on what he thought was gay activity in a public park. 

From Queerty.com:

A former Maryland teacher has been arrested for allegedly assaulting men he believed were gay in a park in DC.

Michael Thomas Pruden, 48, sprayed the men with a “chemical irritant” according to authorities. Some news reports say it was pepper-spray.

The attacks, on five men, happened between April 2018 and March 2021 in Meridian Hill Park, aka Malcolm X Park. The park is a known cruising site for men after dark.

On two of the occasions, Pruden, who was formerly a fourth-grade teacher at an elementary school, pretended to be a ​​United States Park Police officer. He gave police-style directives and shined a flashlight in the faces of the men, before spraying them.

He was arrested yesterday by the FBI in Norfolk, Virginia.

We have previously reported on studies showing that homophobic men have a greater tendency to be closet cases themselves. This story has that feel. Don't you think? 

Pruden faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years for each assault count and a three-year statutory maximum sentence for impersonating a federal officer. The hate crimes enhancement could see extra time added on the assault charges, if he is found guilty.

Pity. 

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