By Mark LaFlamme
Thursday, May 03, 2007
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LEWISTON - A student who tossed ham on a school table occupied by Somali students last month will not be prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office.But that decision, announced on Wednesday, will not have any bearing the school's handling of the incident.
The Lewiston Middle School student who placed the bagged ham has been suspended, according to Lewiston school officials.
Police who investigated found that no crime had been committed, and their part of the probe ended shortly after.
"We referred our findings to the Attorney General's Office," police Chief William Welch said Wednesday night. "And we support their decision."
From the start, there was debate in the community about whether the student's actions constituted a hate crime. Muslims consider pork unclean and offensive.
A 14-year-old Somali boy told the Sun Journal last month that he was eating at a table with four other Somali students on April 11 when the ham was thrown on the table. The teen said the ham was in a bag and that the student who tossed it laughed along with other students who witnessed the incident.
School officials looked into the matter and doled out their discipline.
Letters were sent to the parents of Middle School students, and the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence got involved to help address the issue.
Ultimately though, it was up to the AG's Office to determine whether the incident constituted a hate crime.
Had it been deemed as such, further legal action could have been taken against the student. Typically, when a person is accused of a hate crime, the AG's Office requests an injunction or restraining order against the culprit. Violations of an injunction can result in fines and jail time.
Source: Sun Journal, May 03, 2007