A criminal complaint says a Nevada man accused of a hate crime admitted he mentioned a “hanging tree" during a verbal altercation with a Black man near Reno. The complaint was made public Thursday after the 74-year-old man, his wife and daughter were arrested in Virginia City on various misdemeanor charges. The husband faces a hate crime enhancement on a breach of peace charge because authorities allege the act was motivated by race. The alleged victim captured a portion of the altercation on video that has spread widely on social media.
