Hillsboro police arrested George Mason, Jr. for a suspected hate crime that involved a man with a wrench attacking another man walking a pink poodle with his boyfriend.
The victim said he was walking with his boyfriend in the crosswalk when someone pulled up next to them and started yelling homophobic slurs, while also making fun of their dog named Beauty.
David Beltier said the man then got out of his SUV and started punching him in the face. The suspect then went back to his car and emerged with a foot-long metal wrench.
The man hit Beltier in the back of the head with the wrench.
"He was saying your poodle is a weird color and that's just un-American and F-you, you f--- and shouting," said Jeremy Mark, the victim's boyfriend.
His wife, Saraya Gardner, was charged with obstructing justice. Federal officials said she lied about Mason's whereabouts to Hillsboro officers, and then further misled them when she repeatedly changed her story about the weapon used to strike the victim. She now faces prison time.
In addition to the hate crime charge, Mason was also charged with second-degree intimidation, second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and reckless driving.
KPTV - FOX 12
(via KPTV)
