Panel hosts special meeting over swastika branding incident

The Community Relations Commission in Farmington, New Mexico, is holding a special meeting today to discuss an incident in which a mentally challenged man from the Navajo Nation was branded with a swastika.

The city started the commission in response to race-related incidents involving tribal members. The commission normally meets every month but decided to convene earlier in response to the latest case.

"I am very concerned about what has happened," Mayor Tommy Roberts told The Farmington Daily Times.

Jesse Sanford, 24, William Hatch, 28, and Paul Beebe, 26, have been charged with first-degree felony kidnapping, second-degree felony conspiracy to commit kidnapping, third-degree felony aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and fourth-degree felony conspiracy to commit aggravated battery Beebe also faces fourth-degree felony tampering with evidence.

The men are believed to be associated with white supremacist groups. In addition to branding a swastika on the victim and shaving a swastika into the back of his head, the men allegedly wrote "White Power" on the victim's body.

Get the Story:
Farmington officials to report on swastika-branding (The Farmington Daily Times 5/18)

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