He left dolls with nooses around their necks at the home of black family, warrant says

A Grapevine man is accused of placing a noose around the neck of a baby doll and hanging it at the apartment of a black family.

The incident occurred in December 2017 at the family's Grapevine apartment, according to a federal charge.

The charge of interference with housing was filed Friday and accuses Glenn Eugene Halfin, 64, of intimidating or threatening the family of three because of their race. Halfin lived in the same building as the family, according to the federal court document obtained by the Star-Telegram on Wednesday.

The federal charge came just months after the Grapevine resident was arrested in December 2017 on a state charge of stalking with a hate crime enhancement added.

Halfin has denied to detectives any involvement and he could not be reached Wednesday for comment.

The Grapevine man was arrested in December 2017 on the state charge and he was released after posting $10,000 bail.

The state charge stemmed from incidents against the black family from Oct. 4, 2017, to Dec. 19, 2017. Victims in the Colonial Village Apartments told police of damage to their vehicles, a noose thrown onto their balcony and two incidents in which dolls were left with ropes around the necks, depicting being hanged.

Police began day and night surveillance of the victims' apartment and vehicles.

Detective Joseph Moeller tracked down a doll at a Walmart that was similar to those found at the apartment and viewed several hours of video from inside the store before identifying the victim's neighbor, Halfin.

Officials at the apartment leasing office had reported that Halfin had a history of making "inappropriate racially insensitive comments."

A warrant on the state charge gave this brief account of the case:

Before October 2017, the victim told police there had been several criminal mischief incidents such as his vehicles egged and feces being thrown into his vehicles that he did not report.

The victim made his first report to police on Oct. 4, 2017 when someone threw a noose on his apartment balcony.

Another report was made Nov. 1, 2017 after the victim's common law wife found a children's baby doll underneath her car with a noose tied around its neck.

"The victim explained he interpreted the placement of the doll and the appearance of the doll as a clear threat to his infant daughter," Moeller wrote in the warrant.

On Dec. 19, 2017, the victim reported his wife had found another doll with a noose tied around its neck. This one was tied to a railing near a stairway.

This story was originally published June 27, 2018 at 11:08 AM.