By Tom O'Neill
The Cincinnati Enquirer

COVINGTON - In an unusual case of alleged federal civil-rights violations involving neighbors, a white woman, her son and two of his friends are charged with terrorizing an African-American family, finally driving them from their home.

Only 22 feet separated the front steps of the white Hill family and the black Powell family on Locust Street, a low-income corner of Covington with several boarded-up homes - including now, the defendants'.

In an indictment unsealed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Covington, prosecutors describe what Gloria Powell and her two teenage children allegedly endured: racial slurs, Nazi salutes, threats, broken windows and lights, and an assault with a baseball bat.

Covington police records show about 20 calls to - or about - the home of Kimberly Hill, 42, and her 22-year-old son, Devlin Burke, since January, Lt. Col. Jim Liles said Thursday.

Each is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the civil rights of Ms. Powell, her daughter, DeVonya, 19, and son, Maurice, 17. Between March 24, 2001, and May 2002, the defendants "congregated outside the Powells' home, screamed `white power,' gave the Nazi salute, and loudly played and sang along to music with lyrics including racial epithets," according to the indictment.

By summer, the Powells moved.

The mother and son face a maximum 10 years in federal prison and/or a fine of $250,000 if convicted.

The Powells could not be reached Thursday.

David Reeves, Mr. Burke's cousin, knows both sides well.

The 19-year-old lifelong Covington resident stood on the street between the two homes Thursday, and said neither side is blameless in the escalation. But he understood why the Powells moved because "they were scared to death."

He said Covington police targeted his cousin and aunt because of their criminal records, but he denounced his relatives' anti-black views. He also said he has African-American friends and shared a psychology class at Holmes High School several years ago with DeVonya Powell, and respected her.

"We talked about sociology and race," he said. "She's a very smart girl."

Still, he said the Powells had a "very, very, very difficult" time adjusting to the predominantly white neighborhood.

Because the allegations involve the Powells being driven from their home, Mr. Burke also is charged with two counts of interference with housing and one count of aiding and abetting the interference with housing.

His two friends, Jeffrey Henson, 22, and Matthew Campbell, 22, both of Covington, also face the housing charge, in addition to conspiracy to violate civil rights.

Mr. Burke, Mr. Henson and Ms. Hill pleaded not guilty on Tuesday. Mr. Campbell is serving a six-year sentence at Northpoint Training Center in Burgin on an unrelated assault charge and will appear in federal court later.

Beverly Watts, executive director of the Louisville-based Kentucky Human Rights Commission, said it's not uncommon that civil-rights charges involve housing issues.

"It's many, many more times than most people think," she said.

What is uncommon is that a neighbor/neighbor dispute rises to the level of indictments. Such civil-rights charges usually involve institutions such as the police, the prison system or schools.

"I think most (neighbor) cases can be resolved before getting to this level," said Fred Stines, the federal prosecutor handling the case. "Sometimes it takes just common sense and tolerance. It's when people act out on impulses and I think that's true in just about anything."

According to the Kentucky Criminal Justice Council's March 2002 report "Hate Crime and Hate Incidents in Kentucky":

76.7 percent of all reported hate-bias offenses in Kentucky in 2000 were racially motivated.

More than a third (34.2 percent) of those cases involved hate crimes at a home.

From January to September 2001, the most commonly reported bias motivation reported to Kentucky State Police was racial.

Ms. Hill and Mr. Burke are being held without bond in Campbell County Jail.

In 1997, Mr. Burke was convicted of reckless homicide and sentenced to five years in prison for stabbing his mother's boyfriend to death.

A pre-trial hearing has been set for Nov. 14, with a trial date of Dec. 9.

E-mail toneill@enquirer.com