Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Local Felon Could Face Hate Crime, Too

Item: Man could be charged with hate crime/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press

More Info: A convicted felon sitting in the Kootenai County Jail could be charged for a hate crime stemming from a pair of altercations outside a Coeur d'Alene home earlier this week. Ira Tankovich was arrested Sunday evening and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, a felony which carries up to five years in prison and $5,000 in fines. He could face an additional malicious harassment -- or hate crime -- charge pending further investigation, according to Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney Barry McHugh.

Question: Some people are uncomfortable that we have a category of criminal activity that we designate "hate crimes," claiming that many crimes are fueled by hate and that the regular penalty for those crimes is sufficient. What do you think?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

Follow Dave online: