Elmhurst College Student Accused of Hate Crime Pleads Not Guilty

Myles Burton, the 21-year-old Libertyville man accused of committing a felony hate crime for carving racial epithets into a dorm windowsill at Elmhurst College, pleaded not guilty today, Monday, Jan. 9, in DuPage County Court.

Burton, who is a former member of the school's basketball team, was assigned a public defender. He remains in jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.

The Elmhurst College student newspaper, The Leader, reports that two of Burton's teammates, Samuel Ficker and Michael McCurdy, both face misdemeanor charges because they allegedly were present during the incident. They were suspended from the team.

In addition to a Ku Klux Klan reference, Burton is accused of writing "Negro" and "I hate black people" on the Stanger Hall dormitory Dec. 8.

If convicted, he could receive a sentence of up to five years in jail.

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