In a recent development, Matthew Alan Lehigh, a 31-year-old man from Oregon, has been sentenced to 37 months in jail followed by three years of supervised release for committing hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community in Boise, Idaho. Lehigh had pleaded guilty in June to violating the Hate Crimes Prevention Act and vehicular assault on two women in 2022. His acts involved using his car as a weapon against people he perceived as gay or allies and destroying a Pride flag.
Hate Crimes Targeting the LGBTQ+ Community
Lehigh’s crime spree targeted the LGBTQ+ community in Boise over the course of a week. He used anti-LGBTQ+ slurs, physically assaulted a transgender library employee, and threatened to stab them. When confronted by a security guard, he attempted to strike the guard with his car. Fortunately, the guard narrowly escaped harm.
Four days later, Lehigh targeted two women whom he perceived as lesbians, yelling threats and slurs at them. He again accelerated his car toward them, narrowly missing them but colliding with another vehicle at significant speed. One of the women, Vegas Shegrud, shared the emotional toll the attack took on her mental health, leading her to drop out of school.
Lehigh also admitted to setting fire to a rainbow-striped Pride flag, breaking windows at a building shared by an LGBTQI+ community organization and religious congregation, and assaulting a grocery store customer using an anti-LGBTQ+ slur.
Federal Intervention and Community Safety
Prior to facing federal hate crime charges, Lehigh had been charged at the state level for his attacks. However, he was not charged with a hate crime under Idaho state law due to its limitations. A federal jury eventually indicted him on two hate crime charges, leading to his sentencing. This case highlights the need for federal intervention in situations where state laws may not adequately address hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community.
In response to the sentencing, Luis Quesada, assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, emphasized the commitment of law enforcement to stand against hate and protect communities from bias-motivated attacks. Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, reiterated the determination to use all available tools to preserve the life, safety, and dignity of the LGBTQI+ community.
Lehigh’s actions not only endangered his victims but also impacted the sense of safety within the LGBTQ+ community in Boise, making it essential to address such hate crimes decisively.