Three members of the Waubonsie Valley High School class of 2005 and another man will face trial later this year for their alleged roles in a hate crime on the campus of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, according to the Naperville Sun.
Felony criminal damage to property and misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges were lodged against all four suspects: Kevin R. Sochacki, 18, of Naperville; Michael D. Riha, 19, also of Naperville; Caleb M. Moore, 18, a former Naperville resident living in Auburn, Ala.; and Benjamin T. Chamberlain, 19, of Crystal Lake. Sochacki, Riha and Moore are all graduates of Waubonsie Valley High School, located in Aurora, Ill.
The men are charged in the Dec. 21 vandalism of a residence hall bulletin board informing students of services available from the university’s LGBT organization. They also are accused of shouting threats outside the dormitory room of a gay male student liaison to that organization, according to WQAD.com.
On top of the vandalism, a Wisconsin hate crime charge was applied in the case, boosting the misdemeanor charge of criminal damage to property to the felony level.
All four suspects are scheduled to appear in Dane County (Wis.) court on Feb. 13.