Man who carved swastika in lawn pleads guilty

TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey man accused of carving a swastika into the lawn of a family he had harassed has pleaded guilty to bias intimidation.

Ocean County prosecutors say Scott Cooney, 36, of Lakewood,  entered his plea Monday. They will recommend that he receive a 15-month term when he’s sentenced in August.

Authorities say Cooney repeatedly harassed and threatened the family over a period of several months before he went to their home last August and used a lead pipe to carve the swastika into their lawn.

Once Cooney left, family members took a photo of the swastika and contacted police.