Charges: Minnesota Man Sprays Somali Children, Yells Slurs

FARIBAULT, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota man is accused of a bias crime for allegedly spraying a Somali American teenager and her siblings with a garden hose while he yelled racial slurs.

Eighteen-year-old Zachariah Manahan of Faribault, Minnesota, was charged Monday with felony stalking committed because of bias as well as misdemeanor charges of damaging property and disorderly conduct. Faribault is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Minneapolis.

The 15-year-old girl told police that Manahan had sprayed her and her siblings.

The girl also said Manahan sprayed water through an open second-floor window of her family's home. Police say a rug, a piece of furniture and the walls were drenched.

According to the complaint, Manahan told police he was trying to spray a fence, not his neighbors.

Manahan remains in jail. His public defender did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment Wednesday.

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