Mathu Karcher already has three felony and 13 misdemeanor convictions. (Photo courtesy of the Multnomah County Jail)
A Portland man is accused of shouting racial epithets at a Black man and threatening to sic his pit bull on him, police and prosecutors say.
Local man Mathu Karcher, 40, is charged with menacing and intimidation after authorities say he followed and harassed a Black man walking home after getting off the bus Sunday, the Portland Mercury reported. A probable cause affidavit for Karcher’s arrest said he had his pit on a leash at the time of the incident and instructed the dog to “get him” after the victim expressed a fear of pit bulls.
The dog didn’t attack the man, however.
The target of Karcher’s harassment couldn’t run away, the affidavit noted, because of a prior leg injury. That’s when the Portland man reportedly told him “N—-r, you’re in the wrong neighborhood” and threatened to kick the victim’s ass if his dog failed to attack.
The Black man then walked to local grocery store, where Karcher followed him inside and threatened to “assault the victim” there. Documents say Karcher continued threatening the man inside the store until an employee asked him to leave. The victim called the police and an employee backed up his story about being threatened.
Portland Police Bureau officers caught up with Karcher and arrested him soon after, court documents show. Karcher denied calling the man a racial slur and said he was only following him because he “was traveling the same way.” He also denied following the victim into the store.
The Portland man was booked Monday, Sept. 25, on the misdemeanor charges and pleaded not guilty. Per court records, he already has three felony and 13 misdemeanor convictions.
