Additional charge added in Oklahoma vehicular death case

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – An Oklahoma man accused of running over people he believed were homeless now faces a charge of violating the state’s hate crimes statute.

Jeremy Dean Thacker had already been charged with first-degree murder and nine related felonies.

The Tulsa World reports that the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office added a misdemeanor charge on Wednesday of committing malicious intimidation or harassment.

The new charge is based on testimony from an inmate who said Thacker told him he was looking to buy methamphetamine when he saw a man and a woman sleeping under an overpass and decided to run them over with his truck.

The crash killed Shawn Birdo and injured two other people on Sept. 4.

Thacker is scheduled for trial court arraignment on Monday.