Police: Ex tries to run over woman's new boyfriend, scratches ethnic slur on car

Editor's note: All charges against Bryan Scribner were dismissed in October 2020.

LANSING — A Portland man is accused of pinning his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend up against a tree with a vehicle and scratching an ethnic slur onto the man's vehicle, according to court records. 

Bryan Scribner, 43, of Portland is charged with felonious assault, malicious destruction of property up to $20,000 and ethnic intimidation. All three are felonies. 

Scribner's ex-girlfriend was at her sister's house in Lansing March 1 with her new boyfriend when Scribner pulled up, according to court records. 

The woman said Scribner has called her several times a day and appeared everywhere she goes since they broke up six months ago, according to records. She told police Scribner had called her 500 times over the past few days. 

As the boyfriend was outside fixing a tire that Scribner told his girlfriend he had flattened on the man's vehicle, Scribner approached him with a metal club. 

"Why are you walking out here like a dumb (expletive) monkey?" Scribner said, according to court records. Scribner called him the N-word more than 20 times.

When the boyfriend grabbed the club from Scribner, the man got back into his vehicle. He drove up onto a curb, straight at the boyfriend, according to court records. 

He tried to get out of the way, but he was hit in the right shin, according to court records. The woman said it looked like Scribner was trying to pin her boyfriend against the tree with his vehicle.

The new boyfriend got up and ran to the vehicle and punched Scribner repeatedly until the car started to move — he didn't want to get hit again, he told police. 

The boyfriend's vehicle had a shattered rear window, a slashed tire and had an ethnic slur scratched onto it, something Scribner is accused of doing before police say he tried to run the boyfriend over. 

Ethnic intimidation is not a common charge in Greater Lansing. Less than a dozen cases have been filed in Clinton, Ingham and Eaton counties since 2014. 

Scribner was released on a $25,000 personal recognizance bond, which means he does not have to pay anything unless he fails to show up to court. 

Contact reporter Kara Berg at 517-377-1113 or kberg@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @karaberg95.