Arrest Made in Cleveland Bar Attack; Ohio Hate-Crimes Law Does Not Apply

A youth has been arrested in connection with a Labor Day weekend assault on a patron of a gay bar, but a hate-crime enhancement of the charge is unlikely under state law.

Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.

Read Full Bio

Trudy Ring

September 20 2013 7:53 PM EST

November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST

trudestress

Sorry to interrupt...
But we wanted to take a moment to thank you for reading. Your support makes original LGBTQ+ reporting possible. Help us hold Trump accountable.

One-time Monthly

$19.67 $50 Other

$5 $19.67 $50

Cleveland police have arrested a 16-year-old in connection with a Labor Day weekend attack at a gay bar, but he will likely not face a hate-crime charge because Ohio law does not cover crimes based on sexual orientation.

The youth, whose name was not released because he is under 18, was charged this week with suspected robbery in connection with the September 1 assault on Jared Fox, 28, Cleveland's Plain Dealer reports. Fox was walking into Cocktails, a gay club, when a group of young people beat him and stole his wallet and cell phone.

Ohio's hate-crimes law allows enhanced charges only on crimes committed because of the victim's race, color, religion, or national origin. However, judges are able to consider other factors, including whether the crime was motivated by the victim's sexual orientation, in sentencing, a prosecutor told the Plain Dealer.

A Cleveland city ordinance allows for hate-crime enhancement on crimes based on sexual orientation, but it applies only to misdemeanors, and the charge against the youth is a felony.

Police recently arrested a 13-year-old in connection with another incident at Cocktails. On the evening of September 6, several young boys threw rocks onto the bar's back patio, using antigay slurs while doing so. The 13-year-old was arrested the same night.