An ongoing neighbor dispute has resulted in a rare hate-crime charge against a 49-year-old Spokane man who police say targeted a man because of his race.

Page Lloyd Wrencher was charged with malicious harassment - Washington's hate-crime law - after his downstairs neighbor at 2303 W. Mallon Ave., Joseph D. Landry, said Wrencher called him a racial epithet, repeatedly threatened him and followed him for about two blocks while threatening to kill him on June 3. Landry is black.

A friend of Landry's also said Wrencher called her slur for a white person who spends time with black people.
Spokane police said Wrencher was "extremely intoxicated" when they contacted him.

He was allowed to stay out of jail pending trial but was arrested July 24 after another dispute with Landry in which Witnesses told police Wrencher held a large rock to Landry's head as if he was going to assault him.

Police say Wrencher "has a history of harassing people in this neighborhood and he has been arrested in the past for harassment," according to court documents.

He remains in Spokane County Jail on $8,000 bond for the assault charge and $25,000 for the hate crime.
 

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