Madison man arrested, charged with anti-Asian hate crime

By Edward Era Barbacena

MADISON  -- An American WHITE man is now in custody and banned from UW-Madison's campus after authorities say he spit on an Asian-American UW student and made claims about COVID-19.

According to an incident report from the UW-Madison police department, the unnamed student was walking down West Dayton Street near Ogg Hall at about 9:40 p.m. September 15 when Morgan Kroll, 37, approached her and stopped directly in front of her.

"The victim stated the man crossed the street, stopped a few feet from her, spat directly in her face, and made statements about COVID-19. The victim, an Asian American, told investigators she felt directly targeted due to her race and appearance," UWPD said in the report.

Kroll does not have any affiliation with UW-Madison. He was arrested September 27, and now faces a disorderly conduct charge with a hate crime enhancer and two counts of bail jumping.

His initial court appearance was September 30, and as a condition of his bond he is banned from campus.