Oregon Man Sentenced to Three Years for Anti-LGBTQ+ Assaults in Idaho

Matthew Lehigh, 32, goes on a week-long crime spree targeting the LGBTQ+ community in Boise, Idaho, carrying out acts of violence including attempting to hit victims with his car, and burning a pride flag on a same-sex couple's porch; he is ordered to pay restitution and undergo 3 years of supervised release post-prison.

• Matthew Lehigh, a 32-year-old man from Oregon, was sentenced to 37 months in prison, with an additional three years of supervised release, following a series of hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community in Boise, Idaho.
• Lehigh's crimes included repeatedly attempting to hit people with his car, assaulting a transgender librarian, shouting threats and slurs at assumed lesbians, and setting fire to a pride flag on a same-sex couple's porch.
• Following Lehigh's guilty plea to two felony charges of violating the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, he is also required to pay restitution to his victims.
• One victim, Vegas Shegrud, highlighted the severe psychological strain of Lehigh's assault, stating that it had led to her dropping out of school and describing the fear she felt as 'unparalleled by any other event in [her] life'.
• The local law enforcement were unable to pursue a hate crime case against Lehigh initially because the state's malicious harassment statute does not cover sexual orientation or gender identity, leading to the dismissal of assault and other charges once federal charges were pressed.

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