Professor in California Convicted in Staged 'Hate' Crime
NewsMax.com Wires
Thursday, Aug. 19, 2004
POMONA, Calif. A Claremont McKenna College psychology
professor was convicted Wednesday of falsely reporting her car was
vandalized and spray-painted with racist and anti-Semitic slurs
while she was speaking at a campus forum on racial tolerance.
Kerri Dunn, 39, of Redlands, was convicted of one misdemeanor
count of filing a false police report and two felony counts of
attempted insurance fraud. She faces up to 3 1/2 years in prison when
she is sentenced Sept. 17.
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Her attorney, Gary S. Lincenberg, issued a statement saying Dunn
would appeal the attempted insurance fraud convictions. The
statement did not address whether she would appeal the false-report
conviction.
The professor claimed her car was spray-painted and its tires
slashed March 9. The report prompted college officials to cancel
classes at Claremont's five undergraduate campuses the next day as
thousands of students took part in demonstrations calling for
tolerance.
Dunn called her insurance company that day to report the
vandalism.
She became a suspect after two witnesses reported seeing her
vandalizing her car. Investigators also said she gave them
conflicting reports about what happened.
Dunn's attorney said the visiting professor never submitted a
claim to her insurance company, and that the judge barred that
evidence from being presented to the jury.
As for the false police report conviction, a Claremont College
electrician identified a man who should have been the primary
suspect, Lincenberg said.
Dunn, who remains on leave from Claremont McKenna College,
maintains her innocence, he said.
© 2004 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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