LEWISTON – Federal law enforcement authorities are reviewing the case of a local man who rolled a frozen pig’s head into a mosque to decide whether he violated federal hate crimes law.
Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation have been conferring with local police about the incident, said police Lt. Michael McGonagle.
In Augusta, the Maine Attorney General’s Office is waiting for police to file their report on 33-year-old Brent Matthews.
“Lewiston Police Department has an excellent record in identifying bias-motivated crimes and referring them to our office under the Maine Civil Rights Act,” said Thom Harnett, assistant attorney general for civil rights.
Harnett said his office has been fielding many phone calls about the incident.
“I think there’s a great level of upset and not just the Muslim community,” he said.
In order to prosecute Matthews under the state’s civil rights statute, there must be actionable conduct, plus bias on his part, Harnett said.
If he’s found guilty of the civil violation, Matthews could be fined up to $5,000. The court also could impose an injunction on Matthews, barring him from having contact with the Muslim community. If he were to violate that injunction, he could be punished by up to a year in prison, Harnett said.
Between 15 and 25 people are prosecuted each year under the state’s civil rights act, he said, in most cases, successfully.
Once the state gets the police report, Harnett said he’ll try to decide quickly whether to prosecute.
“The goal is to make the community feel safe,” he said.
Meanwhile, Matthews is free on $200 cash bail. Conditions of his bail prohibit him from having contact with Somalis and orders him to stay away from 23 Lisbon St., the address of the mosque.
Matthews was arrested Tuesday and charged with desecration of a place of worship, a class E misdemeanor.
Matthews allegedly rolled a frozen pig’s head into the mosque during evening prayers Monday night.
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