Teenager jailed for 10 days over noose attack

updated 7:04 a.m. ET June 18, 2009

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio - A teenager accused of putting a noose around a Hispanic boy's neck and dragging him in a parking lot has been sentenced to 10 days in jail.

The 18-year-old was sentenced Wednesday in juvenile court in Mount Vernon, a city of 15,000 residents an hour's drive northeast of Columbus. He dropped his original plea of not guilty and pleaded no contest to ethnic intimidation.

A charge of aggravated menacing was dropped.

Seventeen-year-old Robert Cantu says in May 2008 he was dragged from a sidewalk to a parking lot with the noose wrapped around his neck by a group of teenagers shouting racial slurs. He says the teens threatened to hang him before a bystander intervened.

His family says it plans to sue the city, dubbed the state's Most Livable Community in 1994.

More on Ohio

More from msnbc.com In slump-hit areas, suicide rates on the rise Brokaw:  The night the wall came down Cosmic Log: How the Maya lived Is the swine flu shot as safe as regular vaccine? Scoop: Letterman extortion case heads to court Signs of the sacrifices of military life On Twitter: Breaking news updates | Weird and wild

MORE FROM CRIME & COURTS

Crime & courts Section Front

NYT: Fort Hood suspect tracked before shooting AP: Man admits killing abortion doctor Supreme Court won't stop sniper execution Investigators: Fort Hood suspect acted alone Recession’s good news: Burglaries fall High court looks at life in prison for juveniles Inquiry in Ohio bodies case widens worldwide 3 Fla. teens charged as adults in fire attack Kansas town still grieves ‘In Cold Blood’ deaths More than 20 dead animals found at home Crime & courts Section Front   Add Crime & courts headlines to your news reader: