Scott City man charged in hate crime

A Scott City man has been charged with committing a hate crime after punching another man in the face Saturday.

Carl Grant, 28, has received the felony charge of assault in the third degree as a hate crime after allegedly punching a 20-year-old man, whose name has not been released. The incident happened after the victim allegedly made a sexual proposition to Grant. The incident occurred at 2:26 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Main and Themis streets in Cape Girardeau, authorities reported.

The victim's nose appeared to be broken after the assault, according to information released by Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle.

The penalty for a hate crime-related assault is one day to one year in jail or one to four years in prison. If convicted, Grant could also be fined up to $5,000.

Hate crimes are defined as acts committed based on the race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or disability of the victim.