Official ‘who received anonymous racist & homophobic letter’ confesses to cops he wrote it himself
A POLITICIAN has confessed to writing a hateful, racist letter that he initially claimed was sent to him anonymously, police said.
Jonathan Lopez, a 29-year-old who recently lost his race for a commissioner seat in , said he found the letter in his mailbox on June 23.
, Lopez posted a photo of a typed letter that contained “racist, homophobic, and misogynistic slurs” on .
The letter stated that Lopez and other “Mexicans” weren’t “welcome” in their community, .
"Don't waste your time trying to become anything in this county we will make sure you never win and your family suffers along with all the other f**king Mexicans in the area!”
The letter also read that “ is for the God fearing, pro gun, pro life humans who refuse to be controlled by the government.”
“Sincerely, America!” the letter concluded.
Lopez said in his Facebook post he “holds no resentment for whomever wrote this.”
“I’m just simply heartbroken for the lack of knowledge, education and respect missing,” he wrote. “I pray for you and wish you prosperity in your life.”
Lopez said he posted the letter on Facebook to discuss racism in the community, but later said he never intended to file a police report, as "it just kind of spiraled out."
He added he “never meant to mislead” the public.
Lopez told a reporter for the newspaper, and said he told a , that he found the letter in his mailbox.
But on Monday, Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston said Lopez wrote that email by himself.
“From the onset, this alleged incident has been thoroughly investigated,” Edmiston wrote in an email to the East Oregonian.
“Our investigation has shown that Mr Lopez wrote the letter himself and made false statements to the police and on social media.”
The police chief continued: “The end result is a verbal and written admission by Mr Lopez that the letter was fabricated.”
Edmiston said the police department would be forwarding the case to the district attorney’s office to review charges of a , a Class A misdemeanor in Oregon.
The officer said they were also forwarding information “about possibly fraudulent statements in Lopez’s entry in the May 2020 voter’s guide about his background and education.”
in May, Lopez placed fourth in the race for a seat on the Umatilla County .
He currently sits on the city’s Hispanic Advisory Committee.
According to the police chief, Lopez never served in the Coast Guard — as he claimed.
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“This investigation is particularly frustrating as we are in the midst of multiple major investigations while battling a resource shortage due to the current pandemic,” Edmiston said.
“The time spent on this fictitious claim means time lost on other matters, not to mention it needlessly adds to the incredible tension that exists in our nation today.”
“As a lifelong resident of this diverse community, I’m disgusted someone would try to carelessly advance their personal ambitions at the risk of others,” he added.