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$5,000 Fine, No Contact Order Issued for Seabrook Man Who Violated Civil Rights Act

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A Seabrook man who shouted racist threats at a family last year violated the state's Civil Rights Act, the Rockingham Superior Court has ruled.

According to a complaintreleased by the Department of Justice in January, John Doran, unprovoked, began shouting slurs at a car containing a family returning from a beach trip last July.

When one victim approached him, Doran pointed a gas hose at them, threatened to burn them and said "go back to Africa."

The Rockingham County Superior Court issued a ruling Monday that found the incident was motivated by racial animus and intended to terrorize the family.

Doran is barred from contact with the victims and will have to pay a $5,000 civil penalty.

The incident was captured on video by the gas station's surveillance system. Along with civil rights charges, Doran was also charged with two counts of criminal threatening and simple assault.

The case was prosecuted by the Civil Rights Unit within the New Hampshire Attorney General's office.

Annie has covered the environment, energy, climate change and the Seacoast region for NHPR since 2017. She leads the newsroom's climate reporting project, By Degrees.
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