Man faces hate crime charge for spitting at Asian UW-Madison student while mentioning COVID-19

October 4, 2021

A man was arrested and charged with a hate crime enhancement for spitting at a University of Wisconsin-Madison student of Asian descent and making COVID-19 remarks.

What happened: On the evening of Sept. 15, the unnamed student was walking on West Dayton Street near Ogg Hall when the suspect, Morgan R. Kroll, 37, approached to the victim and spat in her face, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

The victim said Kroll was mumbling during the incident, but she claimed to have heard remarks about COVID-19, Channel 3000 reported.
She said she believes she was targeted because of her race.

The aftermath: Kroll was arrested on Sept. 27 after authorities identified him using surveillance footage, WKOW reported. While speaking to investigators, he admitted to the spitting but denied mentioning COVID-19. The suspect has no affiliation with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Kroll is facing a disorderly conduct charge with a hate crime enhancement and two counts of bail jumping. He was also banned from the university campus as part of his court-ordered bail conditions.

Other details: The University of Wisconsin-Madison was hit with anti-Asian graffiti during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, prompting the faculty to release a statement denouncing the behavior.

Featured Image via Czar

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