On August 18th at approximately 5:30 PM, the Grant County Sheriff's Office was made aware of a fight that had occurred shortly after 1:00 AM on Sandy Lane in the Jamestown Township. A graphic video of the incident depicting some of what occurred was also posted to social media, which included racial slurs.
An investigation into the incident has been ongoing since the Sheriff's Office was notified of the incident. The investigation continues progress and has revealed there were multiple individuals, juveniles and adults, involved in the incident. Those individuals have been identified and the investigating deputy is working diligently to interview those persons.
Anthony Drapeau, age 20 of Hazel Green was arrested for his involvement in the incident and has since posted cash bond for disorderly conduct and misdemeanor battery. There will be forthcoming charges including Battery, Disorderly Conduct, and Criminal Damage to Property for multiple other individuals who were involved in the incident, including juveniles.
One of the key aspects that is being considered is whether this incident can be classified as a hate crime. The Sheriff's Office will present all the evidence to the district attorney's office, and they will decide whether to apply a "hate crime" (Wisconsin Statute 939.645) enhancer to the charges based on the evidence. In Wisconsin, there's no specific hate crime law, but rather an enhancer that can be added to charges. For instance, if someone is charged with misdemeanor battery and a hate crime enhancer is applied, it could lead to increased fines and imprisonment.
This is an continuing investigation and once completed it will be referred to the District Attorney's Office for their review on potential charges.
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