MUNCIE, Ind. — A Muncie man who approached a Black woman, while masked, outside city hall and directed a racial slur at her has been convicted of a felony charge.
At the conclusion of a bench trial Monday in Delaware Circuit Court 3, Judge Doug Mawhorr found 26-year-old Trenton Austin Whitaker-Blakey guilty of intimidation, a Level 6 felony carrying up to 30 months in prison.
According to a court document, the target of Whitaker-Blakey's slur reported she was preparing to enter city hall, 300 N. High St., shortly after 10 a.m. Jan. 18 when she observed a man — "wearing a white face mask with two holes cut into it" — crouched beside a nearby police car.
After the masked man referred to her by the racial insult, the woman said she was "concerned for her immediate safety" and entered city hall.
That night, police found Whitaker-Blakey — who had been identified as a suspect in the case — at the Muncie Mission, 1725 S. Liberty St.
During an interview with a detective, the Muncie man acknowledged he was the masked individual seen in a surveillance video.
He said when he saw his accuser in the parking lot, he assumed she was "a high-ranking CIA agent, detective or a police officer," according to an affidavit.
However, he maintained the racial slur had been directed at "other individuals that were in the area."
"Trent admitted to have associated with members (of) white supremacy groups and had attended the organizations' gatherings," the detective wrote.
After finding Whitaker-Blakey guilty of the intimidation charge, Judge Mawhorr ordered him held in the Delaware County Jail while he awaits a May 6 sentencing hearing.
Deputy Prosecutor Michael Bozoian presented the state's case against Whitaker-Blakey, who was defended by attorney Scott Stephen Mandarich of Indianapolis.
In a release, Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman said his office would "not tolerate intimidation of any kind, especially racially motivated intimidation."
According to court records, Whitaker-Blakey — formerly of New Castle — had earlier been convicted of crimes including battery against a public safety official, intimidation, resisting law enforcement and theft.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
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