Southern Man Visiting Hudson Valley Arrested for Hate Crime

A visitor from the south was arrested after allegedly assaulting a Hudson Valley man and telling him, "Go back to your country."

Maybe Neil Young was right after all. In his 1970 song titled "Southern Man", the artist ruffled feathers after calling out the South for embracing their history of injustice and racism. Lynyrd Skynyrd responded with the song "Sweet Home Alabama", doubling down on its southern pride and evoking troubling imagery like the Confederate flag.

Over fifty years later, the country is even more divided than ever, with many people feeling emboldened to spread hate and intolerance without fear of repercussions. Unfortunately, one man from the south learned the hard way that hatred is not welcome up here in New York.

Southern Visitor Arrested in Hudson Valley After Allegedly Spewing Hatred

On Sunday, a man from Spartanburg, South Carolina was arrested after police say he choked a man after insisting on seeing his green card and threatening to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In talks with police, the man said the comments about ICE were a "joke", but did not indicate why he physically assaulted him.

Carl Jones was arrested and charged with a hate crime after allegedly attacking the victim at a gas station in Westchester County. Police say the 57-year-old South Carolina man was visiting Mamaroneck when he entered the gas station at around 9:30pm on Saturday. He and a Hispanic man were both waiting in line when Jones allegedly began harassing the man, asking for his green card and telling him, "Go back to your country".

Jones was then accused of attacking the victim and squeezing his throat in order to choke him.

Southern Man Faces Felony Charges For Hate Crime

Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace says that Jones is now facing felony charges for the incident. The South Carolina man was arraigned on one count of Assault in the Third Degree as a Hate Crime, which is a felony, and another charge of Criminal Obstruction of Breathing or Blood Circulation, a misdemeanor.

A temporary order of protection was issued to the victim while Jones was released on his own recognizance after a judge denied prosecutors' request for bail. He has been ordered to meet with a social worker.