Man charged in hatchet attack on exchange student

NASHVILLE, Ind. (AP) - A 59-year-old man has been charged in a hatchet attack on a Brown County High School exchange student in downtown Nashville.

Dana Ericson pleaded not guilty Monday to charges that include attempted murder. His bond was set at $500,000.

Ericson is accused of striking 18-year-old Yue Zhang of China in the back with a hatchet Feb. 18. She was taken to a hospital and later released. WXIN-TV reports court documents say Ericson told police he was attempting to "perpetuate ethnic cleansing" and that he "hates these people."

Jacob Moore, who has been appointed as Ericson's public defender, tells The (Bloomington) Herald-Times that he hasn't had time to determine if Ericson has special mental health care needs or if he will consider an insanity defense.