Man accused of making racial threats

VINALHAVEN – The state attorney general said Friday he has sued a Vinalhaven man for allegedly violating the Maine Civil Rights Act by shouting racial remarks and threatening another man on the state ferry that runs between Rockland and Vinalhaven.

The action against Steven L. Wadleigh, 40, was filed in Knox County Superior Court and seeks an injunction prohibiting Wadleigh from any contact with the victim and from engaging in any future violations of the Maine Civil Rights Act. He also could be subject to a fine of up to $5,000.

“This is one of those classic situations that you really don’t really want in Maine. … It’s always a surprise,” Assistant Attorney General Leanne Robbin said in an interview Friday. “What we try to do is get the injunction, and then once we do, if the defendant violates the injunction, he is subject to criminal charges.”

In the suit, the state alleges that on April 20, Wadleigh approached a 33-year-old black man while both were boarding the ferry. Wadleigh began shouting at the man, saying, “If that [expletive] gets on the boat, I’m going to whip his [expletive],” according to the state’s complaint.

Rockland police were called and Wadleigh was warned to stop threatening the man. Once the ferry set sail, however, Wadleigh approached the victim again and put up his fists with the intent to fight, the complaint stated.

Crew members and witnesses had to separate the two men, and the ferry returned to the Rockland terminal, at which time Wadleigh was arrested.

“There were a ton of witnesses, and part of it is on videotape,” Robbin said. “[Wadleigh] is well-known on Vinalhaven, and a lot of people were left shaking their heads.”

While in a police cruiser, Wadleigh continued to make comments demonstrating a racial bias toward the victim, the state claimed.

“Everyone has the right to ride Maine’s ferries in peace, without threat of harassment or violence,” Attorney General Steven Rowe said in a statement. “This victim was singled out because of his skin color. The state of Maine will not stand for it.”

Rockland police investigated the complaint, with help from the Attorney General’s Office. It was the first civil rights violation in Knox County since 2003, when a student threatened a classmate on the basis of sexual orientation, Robbin said.

“We get so many complaints, and many don’t rise to the threat of violence or actual violence,” she said. “We hope that, through education, we can work to diffuse some of these situations.”