Man Indicted for Allegedly Trying to Hit 2 Gay People With a Car [View all]

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

______________________________________________________________________

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.

-snip-

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

______________________________________________________________________

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.

-snip-

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