St. Cloud Man Sentenced in Racial Bias Hatchet Attack
ELK RIVER -- A St. Cloud man has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison after he confronted another man with a hatchet because he was black.
Fifty-one-year-old Daniel Volkers had pleaded guilty in June to a felony count of 2nd Degree Assault With a Dangerous Weapon-Motivated by Bias.
Volkers confronted a black man last March who was sitting in his car in a southeast St. Cloud parking lot.
Court records show Volkers walked up to the man and began yelling at him. The 45-year-old victim told police he opened his car door and asked Volkers what he wanted. Volkers is accused of threatening the man and swinging the hatchet at the victim twice. The victim was able to close and lock his car door without being hit. Volkers then tried to open the car door several times before walking back to his apartment.
Police used a search warrant to enter the apartment unit. Volkers was found hiding in the pantry and a hatchet was recovered inside the residence.
When officers interviewed Volkers, he allegedly used a derogatory term toward black people as many as 30 times in the 10 minute interview.
With credit for time served, Volkers will serve just under two years in prison. As part of the plea agreement, three other charges were dismissed.