GRAPEVINE, Texas – A man arrested by Grapevine Police last December now faces a federal charge.
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas filed a charge of Interference with Housing on June 22, 2018, against 64-year-old Glenn Halfin of Grapevine. Halfin’s arrest on December 22, 2017 came after a months-long investigation by Grapevine Police of several racially charged incidents. The detective assigned to the case and several officers developed a strategy that included day and night surveillance of the victims apartment and vehicles, along with frequent communication with the victim.
The incidents against an African-American family spanned from October 4, 2017 to December 19, 2017. Victims living in the Colonial Village Apartments reported damage to their vehicles, a noose thrown onto their balcony and two instances where dolls were left with ropes around the necks, depicting being hanged. The final incident on December 19 involved a doll hanging from a noose in the breezeway, positioned where anyone walking to or near the victims’ apartment would see it.
Grapevine Police Detective Joseph Moeller began searching for a similar doll sold in stores, and was able to locate the item in Walmart. After reviewing purchases and several hours of video from inside the store, the detective was able to identify the man purchasing the doll as the victim’s neighbor, who had been reported by the apartment leasing office as having a history of making “inappropriate racially insensitive comments” in the past.
Search and arrest warrants were issued, and Grapevine Police took Glenn Halfin into custody on December 22, 2017 for Stalking with a Hate Crime Enhancement. The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office accepted the charge on January 17, 2018.
The week of Halfin’s arrest, Detective Moeller had completed training on hate crimes. Based on the evidence collected in his case, he felt the crime also reach the level of a federal offense. He contacted the FBI in Dallas, and gave them all of his case information. The federal charge came as a result of Detective Moeller’s proactive work.
