Woman gets unsupervised probation for leaving racist letter

KOKOMO, Ind. (AP) - A central Indiana woman who police say admitted leaving a racist letter at the home of a family with a biracial son has been sentenced to 180 days of unsupervised probation.

Sixty-three-year-old Deborah Cantwell of Greentown pleaded guilty Tuesday to misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief and harassment in Howard Superior Court. Judge Doug Tate also ordered her to attend counseling for what he referred to as her "biases."

The charges stem from an October incident in which the father of a 15-year-old boy told authorities his family's home had been toilet-papered and a letter left at a door containing a racial slur and a desire for a "white neighborhood."

The Kokomo Tribune reports the targeted family issued a statement to the court saying it believed Cantwell's sentence was too lenient.

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Information from: Kokomo Tribune, http://www.ktonline.com