Bucks County man who threatened teen with ‘a real hate crime’ avoids jail at victim’s request
Andrew Smith, 19, was sentenced to one year of probation after a more serious charge was dropped by prosecutors.
A Bucks County man who threatened to show a Black teen what a “real hate crime is” and bragged about owning a gun was sentenced Wednesday to one year of probation in a “moment of healing” that a county judge said was motivated by the victim.
Andrew Smith, 19, of Chalfont, pleaded guilty to harassment during a lengthy hearing in front of Judge Diane Gibbons. Gibbons agreed with prosecutors’ decision to drop the other, more serious terroristic-threat charge Smith faced.
With that dismissal, Smith avoided jail time — something prosecutors said was at the request of the victim and her parents, Erica and Harry Jones.
“There are times I’m so proud to live in this community. ... Today is one of them,” Gibbons told the Joneses. “The three of you have demonstrated everything that is kind, decent, fair, and understanding that everyone can hope for.”
» READ MORE: ‘I can show you what a real hate crime is’: Bucks teen faces criminal charges after race-fueled threats on Snapchat
In her ruling, Gibbons also required Smith to continue taking sensitivity training through the Bucks County Peace Center and other, similar programs. And in an unusual move, she asked him to write two essays for her, one detailing the history of slavery in America and another on incidents of ethnic and racial cleansing in other countries.
“I hope these programs will open your eyes to see there are other people suffering through worse circumstances than you, and they don’t need you to add to them,” Gibbons told Smith. “You should go home and get down on your knees and be thankful that Bucks County is not a county of retribution.”
In August, Smith posted a threatening video through Snapchat that was directed at the victim, a student at Central Bucks West High School, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.
It was a response, he later told police, to outrage within the school after another student called the victim the N-word, derided her for her support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and said her political views “make me wanna commit a black hate crime.”
Smith said he was defending the other student, who was a friend of his, and said the victim was overreacting and trying to “ruin the life of the original poster” by speaking to local media about the incident, according to the affidavit.
“Like, I can show you what a real hate crime is,” Smith said in the video. “Like, I’ve got a gun. Do you want me to?”
In an interview with detectives at his home, Smith said he does not own or have access to a gun.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the victim and her parents described how fearful and anxious she became after seeing the video, to the point where she didn’t feel comfortable being left alone, even at home.
Smith apologized to the Jones family, saying that he didn’t understand why he made those comments and that he was “not in a good place” in his life when he recorded the video.
His mother, Michaela, told Gibbons that her son suffers from mental health and behavioral disorders, and was diagnosed with anxiety and depression at a young age.
Smith’s attorney, Louis Busico, said Smith admitted he made a mistake and has taken steps in the months since his arrest to grow as a person. And Smith, he said, was grateful for the grace and understanding of the victim and her family.
“Everyone should take a lesson from the Jones family today,” Busico said. “They not only saw a bigger picture, they defined it. They took a step to make sure we can heal one person at a time, one neighborhood at a time, and God willing as a country.”