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Two men charged
with hate crime after alleged attack at park

Two men charged
with hate crime after alleged attack at park

Two self-described Nazi skinheads have been charged with felony hate crimes after they allegedly attacked two teenagers in suburban Chicago who told them they were lesbians. Patrick L. Langballe, 29, of Winnetka, and Aaron C. Rush, 20, of Green Bay, Wis., were being held Saturday in Lake County Jail, authorities said. Bond was set at $1 million Friday for Langballe and $1.5 million for Rush. Langballe and Rush also were charged with armed robbery and aggravated battery, both felonies, and unlawful use of a weapon, a misdemeanor. Authorities said the two men attacked two teenage girls on June 16 at Illinois Beach State Park near the town of Zion. The men had met the girls, who were 17 and 18, earlier that day, officials said. After Rush allegedly made a sexual advance toward one of the girls, she told him she was in a lesbian relationship with the other girl. The two men said they were skinheads, authorities said. A fight broke out later, resulting in minor injuries to one of the girls. Another camper, approached by the girls for help, called police. It could not immediately be determined whether the men had attorneys. A message left Friday night at Langballe's residence was not returned, and a public telephone listing for Rush could not be found. A message left with Lake County prosecutors also was not returned. Langballe is a onetime follower of white supremacist Benjamin Smith, who went on a shooting rampage in Illinois and Indiana in 1999, targeting minorities and killing two people before shooting himself. (AP)

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