Two Arrested In Calaveras County Hate Crime Case

Two men were arrested Sunday in what the Calaveras County Sheriff´s Department is calling a hate crime.

19-year-old Vernon Keith Moore, of Valley Springs, and 18-year-old Dustin Edward Walker, of Modesto, were arrested and are being held on 75-thousand dollars bail each in the Calaveras County Jail.

Deputies say they found an injured man running along the side of Highway 26 near Vista Del Lago Road in Valley Springs on Sunday evening.

The investigation revealed an ongoing dispute between two groups, which resulted in a stabbing and threats made due to the victim´s race.

Suspects Moore and Walker are charged with felony battery with serious injury, threatening a witness, and felony intimidation due to characteristics, commonly called a hate crime.

Moore is also being held on a 50-thousand dollar warrant.

The case is still under investigation.