Man gets 2 years in prison after racially motivated threats, calling area a 'white town'

A Kansas man was sentenced on Wednesday to two years and three months in federal prison after threatening a Black man with a knife because of his race in order to intimidate him and interfere with his right to fair housing, the Department of Justice said.

Colton Donner, 27, had been driving through a residential area of Paola, Kansas, on Sept. 11, 2019, when he saw the victim, a Black man, walking on a sidewalk, authorities said in a news release.

Paola is about 44 miles southwest of Kansas City.

Donner stopped, got out of the car and approached the victim, brandishing a knife, according to the release. He then threatened the victim, yelling racial slurs at him and saying Paola was a "white town," the Justice Department said, citing court documents.

It wasn’t clear if the man was looking for a home at the time of the incident.