BLOOMSBURG — A teenager who dressed like a member of the Ku Klux Klan and shouted a racist slur at a black woman in a central Pennsylvania town said it “sounded like a good idea at the time.”

The Bloomsburg Press Enterprise reported that 18-year-old Walter Reibsome faced a preliminary hearing Wednesday on charges of ethnic intimidation and harassment. A judge ruled there was enough evidence to send the case to trial.

Reibsome said outside court that he is not a racist. He said he meant it as a joke. Bloomsburg police tracked Reibsome through photos posted on a friend’s Facebook page.

Defense attorney Ray Kessler said he is hopeful a plea bargain can be worked out for Reibsome.