Man who carved swastika in family’s lawn pleads guilty

TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) -- A New Jersey man accused of carving a swastika into the lawn of a family he had harassed has pleaded guilty to bias intimidation.

Ocean County prosecutors say 36-year-old Lakewood resident Scott Cooney entered his plea Monday. They will recommend that he receive a 15-month term when he's sentenced Aug. 21.

Authorities say Cooney repeatedly harassed and threatened the family over a period of several months before he went to their home last August and used a lead pipe to carve the swastika into their lawn. The family stayed inside their home because they did not want to provoke a confrontation.

Once Cooney left, they took a photo of the swastika and contacted police. Cooney was arrested a few days later.
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