Five masked teens who lured a 24-year-old gay man to a
-- where they beat him, robbed him and called him homophobic names -- have been sentenced to terms ranging from probation to 2 ½ years in prison.
A 16-year-old boy was the last of the defendants -- ages 14 to 19 -- to be sentenced Tuesday. Justin Carey Simms, the only adult in the group, was sentenced to 1 ½ years in prison last month. The Oregonian is not naming the other defendants because they are juveniles.
with the intention of having a sexual encounter with another man whose profile he’d seen in an online forum. When he got there, however, the group of teens hit him on the head and repeatedly kicked him after he fell to the ground. They pointed what later were determined to be realistic airsoft guns at him and called him homophobic names, before running off into the darkness.
On a 10-point scale, the victim said the pain he felt was an 8, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
The teens made off with his cell phone, keys, wallet and shoes.
At least one of the teens told police the group attacked the man, in part, because he is gay.
With the exception of the 14-year-old, the defendants were charged in adult court with assault, robbery and intimidation -- for targeting the victim because he is gay. They pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree robbery and were sentenced during separate hearings in recent weeks.
At the time of the attack, Gresham police were looking for victims of other similar attacks. But no other victims have come forward.
Other gay-related hate crimes in recent months and years have spurred criminal charges in the Portland area. In March,
.
Two men who
-- were sentenced last year to jail or probation.
-- Aimee Green