WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) -- Two Waukesha County firefighters charged with hate crimes for allegedly using racial slurs against a black man have taken leaves of absence.
North Lake Fire Chief Terry Stapleton and volunteer firefighter Mark Weber requested the leaves Saturday and they were immediately granted.
Fire department board president George Miller said the two did what they thought was best for the department.
Mark Bratton, 41, said the men used a racial slur, pointed a handgun at him and threatened him with a German shepherd as they told him to leave a roadside pond.
Stapleton, 65, and Weber, 41, were charged Friday in Waukesha County with hate crimes. Stapleton faces two misdemeanors, disorderly conduct and obstructing justice, and could get a year in prison if convicted.
Weber is charged with disorderly conduct and reckless use of a firearm, and faces up to two years in prison.
Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
