Hate crime charges filed in attacks on elderly

updated 9:44 p.m. ET April 28, 2007

NEW YORK - A man accused of beating and mugging a 101-year-old woman and two others was arraigned Saturday on charges that included hate crimes, authorities said.

Jack Rhodes, 44, was held without bail on charges of robbery, grand larceny, burglary and assault. Some of those charges were listed as hate crimes because two of the women were at least 60 years old. Authorities said Rhodes targeted the women because of their age, a violation of the New York State Hate Crimes Act of 2000.

Rhodes, whose last known address was in Queens, was arrested Friday on unrelated drug charges.

Police questioned him after noticing he matched a photo of a person wanted in the attacks, including one on Rose Morat, 101, whose March 4 beating was caught on surveillance tape.

The grainy images show Morat, who was using a walker, trying to leave her apartment building when a man attacked her and hit her in the face. Morat suffered a fractured cheekbone and bruises. Her assailant got away with $33 and her house keys.

The footage caused public outrage and the NYPD assigned dozens of detectives to the case. The NYPD showed the surveillance video to every uniformed officer in the city.

Rhodes is also accused of attacking 85-year-old Solange Elizee, 51-year-old Angela Khan and burglarizing a building. All the attacks took place in Queens.

He faces up to 25 years if convicted. A message left with his lawyer was not immediately returned Saturday.

“I am so sorry for what happened,” Rhodes said as he was led out of a police station, the New York Post reported Saturday.

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