Newport man pleads guilty to smashing teen's face with bike lock because he is Black

Newport man pleads guilty to smashing teen's face with bike lock because he is Black


By Tresa Baldas
Detroit Free Press

Nine months after a Black teenager had his teeth smashed out at a beach, the man who pummeled his face with a bike chain admitted in federal court that his actions were about hate: He attacked the teen because of his race.

And before he pulled out the bike chain, court records show, he told the victim that Black people weren't welcome at the beach and that Black lives don't matter.

Lee Mouat, 43, of Newport, now faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to willfully causing bodily injury to an 18-year-old because of the teen's race. He entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Stephen J. Murphy III. The incident happened last June at Sterling State Park in Monroe, where Mouat confronted a group of Black teenagers, including the victim, 18-year-old Devin Freelon Jr.

More:

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/03/30/michigan-man-pleads-guilty-smashing-black-teens-face-lock/4812192001/