SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah man has been charged with a hate crime for allegedly spitting on and yelling at a Utah mother who was dressed in traditional Muslim clothing and her young son.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced charges Friday against 61-year-old Robert Wolcott.
Court documents report the victim, Sidra Faithullah told officials Wolcott approached her and her 7-year-old son while at a Utah Transit Authority TRAX stop in Millcreek.
"He just started screaming slurs from across the way, I mean just tons of vulgarity, go back to your country," said Faithullah.
Faithullah says the slurs were only the beginning of what she and her son had to go through.
"And then he walked up to us and got in my face and he spit on me and as he spit on me it went on to my son," said Faithullah. "That is when my son started to, he backed up, panicked, I mean any kid would."
Wolcott allegedly stumbled away from Faithullah and her son as he was intoxicated and continued to say they should go back to their country, the DA's office stated.
Faithullah was wearing clothing that identified her as Muslim, arresting documents stated.
Then authorities located Wolcott, they found him to have slurred speech, glazed eyes and poor balance with a strong odor of alcohol, arresting documents state.
"The fact of what this person perceived her to be, he targeted her because of that," said Gill.
The DA's office reported Wolcott was charged with two counts of Class A misdemeanor propelling a bodily substance with both offences having a victim targeting penalty sentencing enhancement "because he allegedly selected the victims based on his belief they were not from the United States of America."
"Our team believes this is an offense that is enhanceable victim targeting enhancement," said Gill. "I think in the average lay person's terms, yeah, this is something we would say is a hate crime."
In a statement, Gill said hateful behavior has no place in Salt Lake County.
"These alleged crimes not only do harm to the victims but also to our entire community," a statement reads. "Hate speech is protected under our constitution. Hateful action to the criminal harm of others is not and will be prosecuted by this office.”
FOX 13 News informed Faithullah about the charges the DA was pursuing.
"It makes me feel like justice is going to be served, I feel like it also puts a statement out there, discrimination is not okay and if you are going to do such things, there is going to be a consequence for it," said Faithullah.
Wolcott was arrested and held with bail in the Salt Lake County Jail.
