One Portland man was met with justice after he threatened to kill a gay residence.
Oregon Live reports that Scott Wayne Smith has been convicted for a crime he committed last summer.
We first shared Smith’s story with you last year after his arrest. 47-year-old Smith approached two men sitting outside an apartment complex on August 13. At first, Smith asked the men for a cigarette but he soon spiraled into “using homophobic language and threatened to kill the men” after the men didn’t respond.
Smith assumed that one or both men were gay because the building itself is an apartment complex for people diagnosed with HIV or AIDS. Many of the residents happen to be gay as well.
Smith, who lives near the apartment complex, then threatened to bomb the building. The police then got involved.
“Everyone deserves the right to feel safe in our community. Scott Smith took that right, and the sense of security, away from the victim as well as the other residents living at this particular apartment complex,” said Deputy District Attorney Melissa Marrero, who prosecuted the case.
Scott Wayne Smith changed his plea to no contest at the start of his trial. He has now been sentenced to 21 days in jail with credit for time already served, two years of probation, and a list of other conditions. These conditions include writing an apology letter and staying away from the victims/the apartment complex that he threatened to bomb.
“We believe this is an appropriate resolution that holds Mr. Smith accountable for specifically targeting the victim based on his sexual orientation, which is a protected class in Oregon,” Marrero remarked.
h/t: Oregon Live
