Florida Man Allegedly Faked Pro-Trump Hate Crime And His Own Kidnapping, Police Say

A Florida man allegedly had a busy weekend after allegedly committing arson that at first appeared to be a hate crime.

Emotions continue to run high since Republican Donald Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in an Electoral College landslide, an event that came as a complete surprise to the poll-driven mainstream news media, and by extension, many U.S. residents as well as people around the world.

Although several media accounts suggest an increase in hate crimes since the presidential election, apparently some of them appear to be hoaxes, according to The Daily Caller.

The Daily Mail described what allegedly happened in Ormond Beach, Florida.

“Vincent Palmer III, 27, placed a note with the words ‘KKK’ and ‘Trump’ as well as a slew of racial slurs that were directed at his own children on the mailbox of his ex-girlfriend before smashing a brick through the window of her car and setting the vehicle on fire in the early morning hours of Saturday. He then fled, but returned when his ex, Staci Winn, 35, called him to say what had happened to her car. Police on the scene then arrested Palmer when they noticed he was acting suspicious and learned there was a warrant out for his arrest over failure to pay child support. He was released on Sunday, and at that point scrawled a bloody note with more racial slurs claiming that he had been kidnapped, which he left for his grandparents…”

After his grandfather called the police, the man was arrested at a local Burger King by the same officers from the previous day. “At that point Palmer admitted to setting the fire, writing the note and faking his own kidnapping,” the Daily Mail added.

Florida man fakes pro-Trump hate crime, sets ex's car on fire then stages kidnapping https://t.co/ZWZMtPfRLT pic.twitter.com/toaR6vSkyP

— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) December 14, 2016

As far as the first incident was concerned, “Ormond Beach police said late Sunday that their investigations revealed that Palmer, who is black, wrote the note to Winn, who is white, so police would not suspect him, a report shows,” the Daytona Beach News-Journal explained. Apparently the couple is involved in a child custody dispute, which allegedly prompted him to set the vehicle on fire. “Police determined that no hate crime occurred and that neither Palmer nor Winn were ever threatened or were in danger from anyone because Palmer wrote the notes, police said.”

The suspect was charged with second-degree arson, according to the Washington Times, and is or was being held without bail.

#Florida man Vincent Palmer fakes Trump-inspired hate crime & own abduction after setting woman's car .. #crime – https://t.co/k9jRv6JtQs

— ZeroCensorship (@ZeroCensorship) December 13, 2016

Hate crime hoaxes, when they allegedly occur, prevent law enforcement authorities from deploying resources to investigate real hate crimes.

Just today, the NYPD charged a Muslim student, who claimed she was harassed by Trump supporters on a subway, with filing a false police report

About two weeks ago, Philadelphia police arrested a South Jersey man for allegedly spray-painting racist, pro-Trump messages on several cars on the morning after the November 8 presidential election. The suspect, who was arrested about two weeks later, allegedly is the ex-boyfriend of one of the property-damage victims, the Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News reported, and the victim and her daughter, who are black, identified the suspect when detectives showed them some surveillance footage. The suspect is also African-American, Breitbart News added.

A Chicago college student allegedly faked an incident in which she claimed to have received anti-gay, pro-Trump notes and emails, according to the educational institution’s president, who also indicated that the student is no longer enrolled there, the Inquisitr reported.

Separately, a Boston-area man reportedly admitted to lodging a fake hate crime complaint about being accosted by two alleged Trump supporters. “The men used a racial slur, made a reference to lynching and warned him this is Donald ‘Trump country now,’ according to the report he gave police,” the Boston Herald detailed. Malden, Massachusetts, police subsequently determined that the story was a complete fabrication.

As the Inquisitr also previously outlined, a University of Louisiana-Lafayette student acknowledged that she made up a story about being assaulted, robbed, and having her hijab torn off by two men, one of whom was wearing a Trump hat. The Lafayette Police Department later announced that it was no longer investigating after the alleged victim admitted to the fabrication. According to CBS New Orleans affiliate WWL-TV, authorities plan to charge the woman, age 18, with filing a false report.

Also in the Inquisitr, a Seattle-area woman made up a claim about being sexually assaulted that she posted to Facebook because she was “distraught” about the presidential election results. The Facebook post in question also apparently suggested that cops were indifferent to the initial rape allegation. Local police investigated the rape accusation and reportedly determined that it was a hoax after detectives finally located her and conducted an interview, the Kirkland Patch and other news outlets reported.

[Featured Image by Steve Helber/AP Images]