Man Indicted for Allegedly Trying to Hit 2 Gay People With a Car

[Eugene]

Also: Idaho Man Indicted for Federal Hate Crime Against LGBTQ Residents of Boise (U.S. Department of Justice)

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Source: The Advocate

Man Indicted for Allegedly Trying to Hit 2 Gay People With a Car

Because Idaho doesn't have a hate crimes law that covers sexual orientation, the U.S. government sought to indict the defendant on a federal hate crime charge.

BY CHRISTOPHER WIGGINS
JANUARY 13 2023 10:30 AM EST

As a result of an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Boise on January 10, an Idaho man has been charged with a hate crime.

A 31-year-old man named Matthew Alan Lehigh is accused of driving his car at two people in Boise on October 12 last year in an attempt to cause bodily harm to the two people because of their sexual orientation.

Boise Police apprehended Lehigh, and state charges were filed against him by the Ada County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, according to a justice department statement announcing the indictment.

Lehigh was arrested in October and charged with three counts of aggravated assault and one count of malicious injury to property. He also faced an additional felony arson charge after he allegedly admitted to police he had committed multiple crimes against the LGBTQ+ community in Boise, including burning Pride flags and vandalism to The Community Center, an LGBTQ+ safe space.

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Read more: https://www.advocate.com/news/2023/1/13/man-indicted-allegedly-trying-hit-2-gay-people-car-hate-crime

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Source: U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, January 12, 2023

Idaho Man Indicted for Federal Hate Crime Against LGBTQ Residents of Boise

A federal grand jury in Boise returned an indictment on Jan. 10, charging an Idaho man with a hate crime.

The indictment alleges that on Oct. 12, 2022, Matthew Alan Lehigh, 31, attempted to cause bodily injury to two people in Boise by driving his car at them. This assault, the indictment alleges, was motivated by the actual and perceived sexual orientation of the victims.

Boise Police apprehended Lehigh, and the Ada County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed state charges against Lehigh.

If convicted of the federal charges, Lehigh faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.

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Read more: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/idaho-man-indicted-federal-hate-crime-against-lgbtq-residents-boise

[70sEraVet]

1. No state left behind!

How can a nation successfully progress in the 21st century, while leaving a state wallowing in the 1950's?

[housecat]

4. and a Congress wallowing in the Middle Ages

[yankee87]

6. I can't believe it in 2023

I’m willing to bet most in the Reich wing government of Idaho wouldn’t even consider this a crime. Thanks for the federal response.

[Pete Ross Junior]

2. Plus it's attempted murder ...

... which I'm guessing is illegal in Idaho.

[frogmarch]

5. State-by-State Hate Crime Laws

When I read the following from your first link, I wondered what state hate crime laws are in other states:

The federal hate crimes charge comes as Idaho laws wouldn’t permit such a charge in this case. Despite the animosity and hate directed at the LGBTQ+ community, no hate crime charges were filed against Lehigh because the state’s malicious harassment law only considers “race, color, religion, ancestry, or national origin” as being protected by the statute.

State-by-State:

https://bjs.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh236/files/media/document/naacp_hate_crime_laws_by_state.pdf