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Sebring man charged with making threats, ethnic slurs against neighbors

CLAYPOOL

SEBRING — Sebring police arrested Koty A. Claypool, 836 S. 13th St., Apt. 14, Saturday after police responded twice to his apartment complex for alleged threats to his neighbors.

Claypool, 24, is being held in Mahoning County jail on $20,000 cash bond awaiting a arraignment in Mahoning County Court No. 3 in Sebring set for 9 a.m. today on one count of having weapons under disability, two counts of ethnic intimidation, one count of aggravated menacing and one count of inducing panic. The weapons under disability count is a third degree felony, the two counts of ethnic intimidation are fifth degree felonies, while the aggravated menacing and inducing panic are each M-1 misdemeanours.

Police responded to the apartments at 2:29 p.m. Saturday and spoke with a female who advised that her daughter and the father of her child, Claypool, were outside and Claypool started yelling at the neighbors but had just left, prior to police arriving, to go to Calcutta.

The complainant advised police that the neighbors were outside their apartment and she wanted officers to tell them to go inside before she did something about it. She allegedly advised, “I have a baseball bat, and I’m not afraid to use it on them.” Police advised her that if she went outside and premeditatedly attacked her neighbors for being outside in the common area she would be facing charges.

An officer went across the parking lot and spoke with the group of people outside who advised that Claypool was stating he would “kill” black people. Police spoke with a man who advised Claypool was upset with him because he was outside in the parking lot doing vehicle maintenance on his vehicle and Claypool was upset because his exhaust was loud. The man alleged Claypool advised him that he was going to slash his tires and set his truck on fire and kick his head in. Claypool then advised the man that he would have his father come over and crush his skull in and continued calling him a racial slur. Police spoke with another person who also alleged that Claypool came out using other racial slurs.

The person stated that Claypool claimed that his father was in the KKK and he was going to have him come and kill them and slash their tires and smash up their car. Police spoke with another person who advised Claypool came over starting problems with several of the residents, that he called her “fat” and he was calling everyone racial slurs and that Claypool stated he was going to kill all of them. The responding officer spoke with several other residents that advised this appeared to be an ongoing issue and that they wanted something done.

This was the second time police responded. During the first response, police said there was a large group of individuals and a detective had spoken with them. Both police units spoke with witnesses who advised Claypool was angry because the truck’s exhaust was too loud and Claypool called him a racial slur and threatened him including saying his father was a bounty hunter and would come and kill him. Others advised Claypool used racial slurs and threats toward them.

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