Man who vandalized South Florida gay pride crosswalk ordered to write 25-page essay on Pulse massacre
Alexander Jerich (Photo: Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office)
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. - A man convicted of burning tire marks across a gay-pride streetscape in South Florida while participating in a rally for former President Donald Trump last summer must write a 25-page essay on the deadly 2016 shooting at a gay nightclub in the state.
A Palm Beach County circuit judge ordered Alexander Jerich, 20, of Lake Worth, to write the essay during a Thursday hearing, according to court records. The essay about the 49 people killed during the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando is due at a June 8 sentencing hearing for Jerich.
Jerich previously pleaded guilty to felony criminal mischief and misdemeanor reckless driving. Prosecutors are asking for 30 days in jail, community service and five years of probation, while defense attorneys argue for only community service and three years of probation.
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Jerich joined a convoy of about 30 vehicles last June in Delray Beach to celebrate Trump's birthday, officials said. A video that quickly went viral showed a white pickup truck adorned with a Trump flag and registered to Jerich's father burning tire marks into a rainbow design painted on the road at an intersection.
Officials said the design had been unveiled just a day earlier to celebrate Pride Month, which is meant to promote LGBTQ rights.
(Courtesy WPTV)
According to police documents, the video showed a white Chevy truck stopped at the intersection, and then "intentionally accelerated the vehicle in an unreasonable unsafe manner in a short amount of time, commonly referred to as a 'burn out.'"
Police were able to clearly see the truck's license plate and identified the owner as 30-year-old John Edward Jerich, of Lake Worth.
After identifying Jerich, police say another witness came forward. The man said he attended a "President Trump Birthday Rally," which included a driving route through the city, on the day of the alleged vandalism.
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The witness said he was in a vehicle that was driving two vehicles in front of the Chevy.
The witness told police he heard a man yell something to the effect of, "Adam, tear up that gay intersection," according to police documents. The witness said he turned around and saw the driver of the Chevy and described him as a white male in his early 20s, with blonde, shoulder-length, curly hair. He described the vehicle to have a blue "Trump" flag that was leaning off the tailgate. The witness later identified Jerich in a photo lineup.
The witness said the vandalism affected him and felt he had to come forward, not only as a community member but as a gay man, the police documents stated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.