On June 15, an Oregon man pled guilty to being charged with two federal hate crimes that took place in Boise, Idaho, per a U.S. Department of Justice release.
According to court records, on Oct. 8, 2022, while at the main branch of the Boise Public Library, Matthew Alan Lehigh approached a transgender library employee, called her a slur, punched her and threatened to stab her. A member of the library's security staff intervened, and Lehigh fled into the parking lot.
When the guard attempted to speak to Lehigh in the parking lot, Lehigh got into a car and suddenly accelerated it toward the guard, trying to collide with him. The guard narrowly escaped by jumping behind a concrete barricade, and Lehigh fled the scene.
Four days later, while sitting in his car in Boise, Lehigh saw two women walking together toward another vehicle. Assuming the women identified as lesbian, Lehigh began shouting threats and slurs at them, then suddenly accelerated his car toward the women, intending to collide with them. The women jumped out of the path of Lehigh's oncoming car, which struck another vehicle at high speed.
Lehigh was charged with one felony violation of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act for the vehicular assault on the library security guard, and a second felony violation of act for the similar assault on the two women.
As part of his plea agreement, Lehigh also admitted that he was responsible for three other instances of anti-LGBTQ+ vandalism and violence in Boise during early October 2022, including setting fire to a Pride flag attached to a residential property in North Boise.
Lehigh faces between 37 and 45 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The agreement also requires that Lehigh pay restitution to all victims and that he remains continuously under the care of a clinical psychiatrist upon his release from prison.
If members of the public have information concerning hate crimes or wish to report similar crimes, they should contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 208-344-7843 or the U.S. Attorney's Office at 208-334-1211.
Andrew Davis