NEW MEXICO: Hate crime suspect takes plea

FARMINGTON, NM — The first of the three men accused of attacking a man for being gay pleaded to the crime Monday on reduced charges that dropped the hate crime sentencing enhancement.

Craig Yazzie, 37, pleaded no contest in district court to false imprisonment, a fourth-degree felony, and misdemeanor aggravated battery. Yazzie, of Dennehotso, Ariz., faces more than two years in prison on the reduced charges.

The victim, Matthew Shetima, reported to Farmington Police on Sept. 22 he was walking through an alley near the Journey Inn on Glade Lane and was called over to talk to several men who began hitting him, calling him "faggot."

When he fell, the men kicked him saying, "You want to die, faggot?" arrest documents state. The victim then was allegedly pulled into the men's hotel room, where they continued to punch and kick him before he could escape.

Farmington Police responding to the incident identified Jerry Paul, 40, Scott Thompson, 22, and Yazzie as being involved. Prosecutors believe Thompson was the ringleader of the fight.

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