Santa Cruz man sentenced for violent hate crime after slashing at Black man
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) San Francisco Division FBI announced Ole Hougen was sentenced to 6 years and 10 months in federal prison for committing a violent hate crime against a Black man in Santa Cruz.
According to the FBI, this is the first conviction and sentencing in the Northern District of California under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act – a federal law that was passed in 2009 to expand the government’s ability to prosecute hate crimes.
"To convict someone of a federal hate crime, the government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the offender targeted the victim because of the victim’s race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or other legally protected status," FBI San Francisco Division said in a statement. "This case illustrates two of the most important ways that the community can help the FBI with our hate crimes investigations: coming forward as witnesses and reporting any bias-motivated attacks or threats to law enforcement."
Hougen was arrested in July 2020 after drawing a knife and slashing at a Black man on San Lorenzo Blvd. and Broadway Street. According to Santa Cruz Police and court documents, Hougen at the time was screaming racial slurs at the victim and when police arrived, they said Hougen was asking for a "white person to help" take him into custody.
Officials said that wasn't "a SCPD accommodation" since their staff includes people of color, and Hougen continued to make racial comments and slur towards the officers and jail staff during the booking process.
Hougen was convicted in April this year. He tried to file a motion for a new trial and the court denied it.
"No one should be afraid to walk down the street or feel like they could be targeted by an act of violence based on how they look, where they are from, or what religion they practice," FBI said.
