A Petaluma man was convicted in Marin County Superior Court of a misdemeanor hate crime and sentenced to 80 days in jail.
Robert Lynn Thorne was convicted March 29 by a jury and also sentenced to one year of probation, 15 hours of volunteer work, and $270 in fines and fees.
The hate crime charge stemmed from an October 2022 incident at a Novato shopping center during which Thorne damaged and spat upon a woman’s car. The defendant spat on the hood, kicked a door, and scratched the paint, leading to a damage estimate of $1,000. The man also yelled racial slurs toward the woman. He was contacted by law enforcement two hours after the incident and identified by the victim.
The vandalism was committed due to the defendant’s bias or hatred of the victim due to her race in violation of her civil rights.
The U.S. Constitution allows hate speech as long as it does not interfere with the civil rights of others.
Interestingly not one photo of this man is available online although there are pages of articles regarding this incident and his sentencing.
He must have a lot of money or influence to keep his face off the internet. White privilege.