Warrants were served on two men last week allegedly involved in a cross burning incident on Applegate Street, Milton, August 14. Cody Allen Perritt, 18, Milton, and William Jayson Young, 18, Pace, were both charged with public order crimes, a first degree misdemeanor. Another man, Justin Free Ammons, 20, Pace has an active warrant for his arrest. Captain Tony Tindall, Milton Police Department said in no way was the cross burning a hate crime.
“The three individuals involved in the cross burning were doing so in retaliation of a robbery,” said Tindall.
A conversation with a witness indicated to Milton officers two black juveniles were sitting on the front porch of the residence of Paula Verna King while King was not home the day before the cross burning incident. The witness reported a car ‘full of white kids’ pulled up and the two black juveniles, in an apparent drug buy, robbed the white kids. Tindall said since the robbery occurred at King’s house, the cross burning story was credible from the two suspects. Reports said Perritt spoke with MPD officers about the situation leading up to the cross burning event and said he, Young and some friends, including a baby, drove to Applegate Street with the intent to purchase narcotics. Reports said Young was robbed at gunpoint of the $45 he had in his pocket with which he intended to buy drugs. Reports said a black man on a bicycle approached the vehicle Perritt was driving and directed him to said porch. Young told officers as once he was on the porch one of the men turned a gun on him and demanded his money. Perritt told officers he and Young drove around the next day looking for the subjects who stole money from Young. Reports said Perritt told officers they came up with the idea of burning a cross in the front yard of the home in which the robbery took place to send a message the robbery was not being taken lightly. Perritt told officers he was with another man, Justin Free Ammons, 20, Pace on August 14 when the cross was burned. Young told officers the cross was built at a residence on Morgan Road and the three transported it to the site of the burning by placing it on top of Ammon’s car. Tindall said MPD is aware of the robberies happening and are diligently working to clean up the Applegate Street-Peachtree Street neighborhood.
Earlier reports indicate Paula Verna King, resident of the home on Applegate Street, where the cross was burned, assumed the incident was done by her brother.
Both Perritt and Young were held at the Santa Rosa County Jail and were released.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: MPD: Cross burning incident a retaliation of robbery