HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A former Marshall University football player who allegedly hit two gay men on a Huntington sidewalk he saw kiss won’t be charged with a hate crime.
A Cabell County judge ruled Friday that Steward Butler couldn’t face a hate crime charge because West Virginia’s hate crimes code does not include protections based on sexual orientation.
Last April, Butler allegedly punched the two men and shouted slurs at them after seeing them kiss. He pleaded not guilty the following month after being indicted on two felony civil rights violations and two counts of battery.
He still faces the two battery charges, and his trial will begin Aug. 16. at 9 a.m.