Ethnic intimidation charges dropped in 2011 attack

WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP (AP) -- A judge has dismissed ethnic intimidation charges in an attack last year on a 25-year-old black man outside his friend's home in suburban Detroit. District Judge Marc Brisson last Thursday threw out the felony charges, citing inconsistent testimony. He let misdemeanor assault charges stand. Twenty-five-year-old Stephen Harris of Farmington Hills says he was beaten with fists and struck with a brick as three men yelled racial slurs. The attack happened April 11, 2011, in Oakland County's West Bloomfield Township. The defendants are Savio Yaldo and brothers Fariss and Naseem Shayota. Naseem Shayota's lawyer says there was no racial bias in the incident. Mitchell Ribitwer tells the Detroit Free Press the charges should never have been brought. Harris's lawyer Judith Gracey says she's saddened and angry at the judge's decision. Published: Mon, May 7, 2012