Man charged with homicide as hate crime in Wisconsin crash

He was a retired special agent with the Wisconsin Department of Justice and a former police officer. Navarro apparently didn't know Thiessen, but targeted him because he was white, said Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt.

A Mexican American man from Wisconsin is charged with homicide as a hate crime because prosecutors say he intentionally crashed his pickup truck into a motorcyclist and killed the man because he was white. Daniel Navarro, 27, of Fond du Lac, told investigators he had been harassed by co-workers and neighbors, and poisoned, drugged and verbally attacked by white people because of his race, authorities said.

The Associated Press left a message Friday seeking comment from Navarro's lawyer. Phillip Thiessen, 55, was killed July 3 in the town of Taycheedah. He was a retired special agent with the Wisconsin Department of Justice and a former police officer.

Navarro apparently didn't know Thiessen, but targeted him because he was white, said Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt. Navarro is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree recklessly endangering safety, both as hate crimes.

Fond du Lac County Circuit Court Judge Robert Wirtz set bail at $1 million during an initial court appearance Thursday..