In September, Blake Hayes, Alec Bell & Danny Calvert were victims of a hate crime in Midtown Manhattan. They were assaulted after being confronted with anti-gay slurs. After an intense investigation by the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force that extended from New York to Virginia to the United Kingdom, a suspect was found: Air Force Staff Sergeant Benjamin Ford. Through an agreement between the NYPD and the U.S. Air Force, he was charged in a military court with 3 counts of assault and battery, 1 count of issuing a false statement (AF Form 1158), in violation of Article 107 of Military code. His punishment will include dock pay for the month of September, a loss of a stripe and lowering of his rank.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis sentence shows that if you commit a hate crime in New York City, you will be pursued, apprehended and prosecuted. I want to thank the NYPD\u2019s Hate Crimes Task Force for working collaboratively on this case with my office as well as with Air Force officials. I applaud the United States Air Force for taking swift and appropriate action on this case.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis crime was also notable because of reports from the victims that NYPD officers responding to the scene did not appropriately recognize the seriousness of the incident and failed to collect contact information from the alleged assailant. An Internal Affairs Bureau investigation is in progress and we are awaiting the results of this investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In September, Blake Hayes, Alec Bell & Danny Calvert were victims of a hate crime in Midtown Manhattan. They were assaulted after being confronted with anti-gay slurs. After an intense investigation by the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force that extended from New York to Virginia to the United Kingdom, a suspect was found: Air Force Staff Sergeant Benjamin Ford. Through an agreement between the NYPD and the U.S.<\/p>\n
…<\/p>\n