FORT LAUDERDALE – Charges against a Wilton Manors man accused of attacking a US Postal Service worker and ripping off her hijab have been upgraded to a hate crime.
According to the Broward State Attorney’s Office, after prosecutors reviewed all of the evidence, facts, and circumstances surrounding the incident earlier this month, they filed a formal charge of battery (hate crime) against Kenneth Pinkey. The hate crime enhancement raises the charge from a third-degree felony to a second-degree felony and the maximum possible penalty is up to 15 years in state prison.
The postal worker, who was in full uniform, was walking up to a residence on NW 9th Avenue to deliver mail, when Kenneth Pinkney, 47, rode past her on a bike and reportedly formed his hand into a gun shape and made a shooting gesture at her. He then allegedly called her “derogatory names” and told her to go back to her country.