Concern grows after arrest for voter intimidation

ACREAGE, Fla. (CBS12) — Tensions are high for election workers and candidates after the recent arrest Nicholas Farley.

Farley, 30, of West Palm Beach, was taken into custody over the weekend on charges of voter intimidation. Farley was accused of shouting racial slurs and driving recklessly while voting early outside the Acreage branch library in Loxatch.

Last Thursday, Lily Loudon, a volunteer for Republican candidate Meg Weinberger, experienced such an encounter.

“He (Farley) just shouted angrily at me. He just shouted a lot of anti-Semitic insults. I guess because of Meg Weinberger,” Loudon said.

“What was scary wasn’t the words, it was when he came back and when he was driving threateningly and I was worried he might be armed,” Loudon added.

In an interview with detectives, Farley admitted that after seeing Meg Weinberger’s campaign posters, he caused an outburst of anti-Semitic remarks.

Meg Weinberger, who is running for the state’s 94th District, expressed concern about the incident.

“It’s definitely very scary that we’re dealing with this. It’s just not a way to live, and maybe he’ll open his eyes and realize that we’re all just human, it doesn’t matter what your religion is or the color of your skin,” Weinberger said.

The Palm Beach County District Attorney’s Office is currently handling the case.

“We were able to get Judge Damico to set bail at $100,000 for the charge, which is unheard of for a second-degree felony,” said Freddie Menard, the assistant state’s attorney who handled Farley’s initial appearance.

She also commented on the accusations of fighting hate crimes.

“Hate crime statute 775.085 is an improvement,” Menard explained. “The special enhancement is called “proof of bias at the time of the commission.” So that makes it a hate crime, and what that does is it elevates it in the classification of the crime.”

Menard oversees a Hate Crimes Task Forcewhich aims to raise awareness of the rise of illegal bias in society while offering support to victims.

“These are very serious crimes, especially when you combine it with things like voter intimidation. This is something that our country takes very seriously,” Menard said.

The State Attorney’s Office encourages the community to report any suspicious or illegal activity involving voter intimidation, threats or harassment to ensure a safe and fair voting process.

“Failure to report really hurts us as a community because it allows these people who commit crimes against people needlessly and without any justification to continue to do so under cover,” Menard said.

PBSO noted that Farley has a history of racist and anti-Semitic speech. On Oct. 3, Farley yelled racial slurs at a family playing at Akridge Park in West Palm Beach. The victim told deputies that Farley drove in and out of the parking lot and yelled at her and her children, saying, “You’re a race traitor.”

In addition, Farley was arrested by the West Palm Beach Police Department on July 14 for aggravated assault with a firearm without intent to murder. Farley allegedly yelled at an interracial couple as they walked down Clematis Street, telling the white woman she was committing genetic suicide. When the victims confronted Farley, he allegedly pulled out a gun and told them he was going to shoot them.