Jul 5, 2008 5:58 pm US/Mountain
Man Pleads Guilty In Racially Motivated Attack
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) ―
A 19-year-old man has pleaded guilty to committing a bias-motivated crime in the attack of a Hispanic man who was called a racial slur and assaulted outside a store after being asked, "Why are you stealing our jobs?"
Abraham Paquet pleaded guilty to harassing Ivan Ponce De Leon-Najera, 26, and stealing a 15-year-old's skateboard before the assault. Paquet faces up to 18 months at the Boulder County jail for both crimes.
Prosecutors dropped all other charges against Paquet in exchange for his plea Thursday.
The other man accused in the assault, Joshua Ruzek, 19, also pleaded guilty in May to committing a bias-motivated crime. He is serving a 24-month jail sentence.
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