Lexington man found not guilty of federal hate crime charge
A Kentucky man charged with a federal hate crime after he allegedly threatened a Palestinian American man with a loaded gun at a local restaurant this year was acquitted of charges.
Melvin Litteral, 53, of Lexington, was charged in July with brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and interfering in a federally protected activity in the Eastern District of Kentucky federal court, according to court records.
The Department of Justice said Litteral used force or the threat of force to intimidate and interfere with the victim, a Palestinian American man and practicing Muslim, and pulled out a gun during the incident.
A jury found Litteral not guilty Wednesday after a trial.
The incident happened inside the Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen restaurant on Walden Drive March 28. A Lexington police citation said Litteral pointed a handgun in the face of the victim after a verbal altercation which “placed the victim at substantial risk of serious physical injury or death.”
Litteral originally faced charges in Fayette Circuit Court, but those were dismissed in August when he was federally indicted.
This story was originally published October 3, 2024 at 8:28 AM.
