Woman Charged With Hate Crime After Allegedly Leaving “Racist, Alarming” Message on New York Church Voicemail

A 66-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly leaving a "racist and alarming" message on the voicemail of a Long Island church, police said.

Elisa Pellino, of Farmingdale, was arrested at her home Thursday in connection with the message left at New Hope Institutional Baptist Church in Amityville a day earlier.

The pastor of the church called police after getting the voicemail and detectives with Suffolk County's hate crimes division launched an investigation.

The specific nature of the voicemail wasn't clear.

Pellino was charged with aggravated harassment as a hate crime.

She was expected to be arraigned Friday. It wasn't immediately clear if Pellino had an attorney.

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