RILEY COUNTY, Kansas -- A man who defaced his own car with racist graffiti and filed a false police report to Riley County Police Department will not face charges because “having done so would not be in the best interests of the citizens who comprise the Manhattan community.”
Dauntarius Williams, 21, of Manhattan, “was genuinely remorseful and expressed sincere regret” of the negative media attention received as a result of his actions, Riley County Police Department said in a Nov. 6 release.
“While Williams’ mistake had a decidedly negative impact on the community, please recognize that he, like many of us when we were young, is a young man who made a mistake and is now doing his best to own up to it,” department director Brad Schoen said in the release.
Riley County Police Department had brought the Federal Bureau of Investigation into the case after it was first reported on Nov. 1. The parked vehicle – which was Williams’ own car – was covered in graffiti, including racist slurs and a threat.
During the investigation, Williams admitted he was responsible for the graffiti.
In the release, Williams issued an apology, and he said the racist graffiti was meant to be a Halloween prank.
“I would like to deeply apologize to the community,” Williams said. “The whole situation got out of hand when it shouldn’t have even started. It was just a Halloween prank that got out of hand. I wish I could go back to that night but I can’t. I just want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for the pain and news I have brought you all.”
Kaitlyn Alanis: 316-269-6708, @kaitlynalanis
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