Valley Stream, N.Y. (AP) - A white man and woman accused of harassing a Black woman who lives next door to them, including throwing feces and firing a pellet gun, were arrested and charged Monday, the Nassau County District Attorney’s office said.
District Attorney Madeline Singas said John McEneaney, 57, and Mindy Canarick, 53, were charged with misdemeanors in connection to the alleged treatment of their neighbor, Jennifer McLeggan, who moved into her home in April 2017.
McEneaney was charged with criminal mischief as well as harassment, and faces up to a year in jail. Canarick was charged with criminal tampering and faces up to three months in jail.
Both were arraigned and released on their own recognizance, and are due back in court in October. Phone numbers for them were not available, and a call to an attorney for McEneaney was not answered.
The judge also handed down an order of protection at the behest of prosecutors.
McLeggan, mother to a toddler, had said her neighbors had been subjecting her to repeated abuse since she moved in. She said she had told police, but had gotten no help. She gained public support last month, after posting a sign to her door saying she was being harassed.
One of her attorneys, Heather Palmore, said the arrests were only the first step in the process, and said they “were a long time coming.”
She lauded the district attorney’s office for investigating and bringing the charges.
“Anybody who comes to these communities has a right to live there, and has a right to live free of harassment,” she said.
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