Wisconsin man faces hate crime charge for cutting his neighbor's Internet because they're 'illegal,' police say

• Shannon Pearson, 48, was arrested after he cut his neighbor's internet cable, according to NBC News.
• Pearson believed his neighbors were 'illegal' aliens and did not deserve cable, per the outlet.

A man in Eau Claire, Wisconsin was arrested on hate crime charges after police say he cut his upstairs neighbors' Internet cable because he believed they were in the country illegally.

Shannon Pearson, 48, was arrested on September 22 after he told police officers he used a pair of scissors to cut their service because he thought they were undocumented immigrants, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by NBC.

Pearson initially told police he believed it was the cable installer who had cut the neighbor's Internet, according to NBC. Pearson also told officers that one of the neighbors pushed him down the stairs after he tried confronting them about their status, per the outlet.

The neighbors denied pushing Pearson down the stairs or making contact with Pearson at all, according to the complaint.

The cable installer who returned to fix the neighbor's service denied cutting the cable in the first place and told officers that Pearson came outside during the initial installation to tell him that he felt his neighbors didn't deserve cable because they were "illegal," according to the complaint.

According to the complaint, Pearson admitted to officers that he cut his neighbor's cable because they did not speak English and were possibly undocumented.

However, police said that his neighbors were not in the county illegally, per NBC.

Pearson was charged with obstructing an officer, felony criminal damage to property and a hate crime, according to the complaint.