T} Hate Crime Trial Ends in Conviction (compiled from reports in the Burling- ton, VTFree Press) The fust case to be tried under Ver- mont’s new hate-crimes law resulted in a conviction. The Burlington Free Press reported that two Burlington brothers in- volved in an attack on a gay man in Au- gust 1990 were sentenced on June 10. One of the brothers, Dominic Ladue, 28, will appeal the constitutionality of the law to the Vermont Supreme Court. La- due pleaded guilty to aggravated assault on a 25 year old man, whom he beat and attempted to rob on August 15, 1990. La- due received a two to six-year sentence for the assault. If the Supreme Court up- holds the hate-crime statute, he will get a consecutive sentence of one to four years, said Judge Alden T. Bryan. The statute allows expanded penalties for hate-motivated crimes. Richard Ladue, 17, pleaded no contest to attempted assault and robbery and re- ceived a suspended two to five-year pris- on term. Bryan ordered the younger La- due to complete 200 hours of community service, and counseling if necessary. Un- like his brother, Richard Ladue did not contest being charged under the hate- crime statute, so that portion of his sen- tence was not issued separately. The case involves a crime which took place after a man left Pearls bar and was approached near Battery Park by two men who allegedly tried to steal his wal- let. According to police reports, the men called him a faggot before beating him for five minutes. The victim suffered se- rious facial injuries and needed five stitches to close wounds near his eyes, police said. Dominic Ladue is appealing the validity of the hate-crime law, which went into affect in May 1990, because he says it vi- olates his free speech rights, the Free Press reported. Bryan rejected that argu- ment in late April. It might take a year before the Vermont Supreme Court de- cides the issue. This is the fourth time Dominic Ladue has been arrested and charged with a felony. The judge warned that if he is arrested again, he could be charged as a habitual offender, which carries a pos- sible life sentence. “There won’t be any more felonies,” Ladue told the Burling- ton Free Press. In other cases related to hate crimes: A Coventry man has been charged with aggravated assault. Vermont P. Roby, 40, is charged with attempting to cause ‘serious bodily injury to Dang Thank, 20, by striking him in the face with a beer bottle on June 2, in Battery Park, police said. Witnesses claim the attack was motivated by the fact that the victim is Vietnamese. According to a court af- fidavit completed by Offficer Kathleen P. Stubbins, witnesses said that Roby claimed that he had killed some Viet- namese during the Vietnam War and it would not bother him to kill some more. Roby weighs 260 pounds; the victim weighs 130 pounds. Also charged was Brian Douglas, 38, of Clark Street, who is also known as Brian Duckworth. The two defendents allegedly picked up beer bottles by the neck and walked over to the victim, police said. Roby allegedly struck the victim in the face with a bot- tle and broke it to use the jagged edges to threaten him, Stubbins said. Five stitches were required to close a wound over the victim’s right eye. Christopher Root, 25, of Winooski, has been charged in an alleged gay-bashing incident in April. Root allegedly struck a gay man in the head with a stick on April 6 on Bank Street in Burlington. In June the defendant was charged with vi- olation of the conditions of his release. Root pleaded innocent to two counts of violating conditions and one count of simple assault on the woman who had been the victim of one of his alleged crimes. He violated conditions by con- tacting the woman and by drinking, ac- cording to Winooski police. V Member National Lesbian and Gay Law Association ROBERT W. ZEUNER ATTORNEY AT LAW Bauer, Gravel and Watson 362 Main Street Burlington, VT 05401 863-5538 100 MAIN STREET PO. BOX 247 O. Hoff, Agel, Curtis, Pacht & Cassidy. l’.C. BURLINGTON. VT 05402-0247 David W. Curtis ATTORNEY AT LAW 802-B64-4531