DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of burning tire marks across a gay pride streetscape in South Florida while participating in a rally for former President Donald Trump last summer has been sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service.
Alexander Jerich, 20, of Lake Worth, had previously pleaded guilty to felony criminal mischief and misdemeanor reckless driving, but a Palm Beach County circuit judge withheld adjudication during a Tuesday hearing, meaning Jerich will not have a felony on his record if he successfully completes his probation. Prosecutors had been seeking 30 days in jail, community service and five years of probation.
The judge had also previously ordered Jerich to write a 25-page essay on the deadly 2016 shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando. Jerich turned in the essay about the 49 people killed during the Pulse nightclub shooting before Tuesday’s hearing.
Jerich joined a convoy of about 30 vehicles last June on Delray Beach to celebrate Trump’s birthday, officials said. A video that quickly went viral showed a white pickup truck adorned with a Trump flag and registered to Jerich’s father burning tire marks into a rainbow design painted on the road at an intersection.
Officials said the design had been unveiled just a day earlier to celebrate Pride Month, which is meant to promote LGBTQ rights.
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