|
YONKERS---A Yonkers man has pleaded guilty to a hate crime involving the assault of a U.S. Postal Service worker.
John DeGuisto, 62, of Central Park Ave., has pleaded guilty to third degree assault as a hate crime, a class E felony.
Westchester County prosecutors said that on Nov. 7, 2005, at approximately 6:30 p.m., DeGuisto overheard José Rodriguez, a U.S. Postal Service worker, speaking in Spanish to an employee at a Dunkin Donuts located at 1591 Central Park Avenue in Yonkers.
He told the victim to stop speaking in Spanish because he was in America. DeGuisto then stood outside the shop and waited for the victim to exit. When Rodriguez left the store, DeGuisto repeatedly struck him with his fist, fracturing his nose and causing lacerations to his face and eye area. One laceration above the victim's eye required stitches.
The police were called and the Deguisto admitted to striking the victim. Rodriguez was in his postal uniform at the time of the attack.
"Diversity and multiculturalism are the building blocks of our nation, our state and our county", Westchester district attorney Janet Fiore said. "The kind of ignorance displayed in this incident, coupled with a physical assault, will not be tolerated and aggressively prosecuted. The spoken word can be as damaging an instrument as a fist, a knife or a gun. If an individual chooses to act out views of intolerance, he will face the consequences."
DeGuisto will be sentenced on Nov. 9. 8-28-06
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed by anyone without the express written permission of the publisher. This article is copyright protected and Fair Use is not applicable.
© 2006 North
Country Gazette
|
