‘It Was a Threat’: Indiana Man Makes Unbelievable Excuse for Wearing a White Hood and Calling a Black Female Cop the N-Word, But Appeals Court Doesn’t Buy It

An appeals court recently upheld a trial court’s decision to convict a man who racially intimidated a Black police officer during an incident in which he wore a white hood and called her the N-word. Trenton Whitaker-Blakey was found guilty of felony intimidation in May and sentenced to 30 months in prison after an encounter in Muncie, Indiana, with a Black female officer on Jan. 18. According to court documents, the police officer, who was dressed in “business casual” attire with her “gun and badge” over her blouse, parked her unmarked vehicle in the city hall parking lot. When she exited the car, a man suddenly “popped up” from behind a marked police car about 10 feet away from where she was standing. Trenton Whitaker-Blakey (Photo: Office of Prosecuting Attorney Eric M. Hoffman) The man, authorities later identified as Whitaker-Blakey, was wearing a backpack and a “white hood” over his head with eye holes cut out. He stepped a bit closer to the Black officer, then uttered the slur “n****r.” Court documents stated that after the encounter, she walked to her office and reported the incident to her supervisor. After police reviewed surveillance footage, they located Whitaker-Blakey later that day,...