Man allegedly yelled anti-gay slurs while trying to run over two women — but Idaho law won't allow hate crime charges

An Idaho man who was jailed for allegedly yelling homophobic slurs while trying to run over two women with his car is facing a new charge of arson. But according to Idaho law, he cannot be charged with a hate crime, The Advocate reports.

Matthew Lehigh, 31, was charged with three counts of aggravated assault and one count of malicious injury to property along with the felony arson charge related to his burning of Pride flags and vandalism at a LGBTQ community center in Boise.

“The women were standing next to their vehicle when the suspect intentionally drove his car at them, the women quickly moved out of the way and the suspect’s vehicle struck the victim’s vehicle,” Boise Police said in a statement.

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Police say this is not the first time Lehigh has yelled homophobic slurs at people from his car and there may be additional charges in the future.

Idaho's malicious harassment law only considers “race, color, religion, ancestry, or national origin” to be considered under the state's hate crime law.