Cops: Man Beat Victim After Trans Discovery
Defendant thought his wrestling opponent "was a girl"
MARCH 11--A violent assault this morning occurred after an Iowa man--thinking that he was horsing around with a girl--learned that the individual was “a transgender person,” according to cops who say the victim was left covered in blood and required hospital treatment.
Investigators say that after Justin Farrior Lewis, 35, spent time last night at an American Legion hall in an Iowa City suburb, he invited people he met there to his home.
Based on Facebook postings, Lewis (seen above) appears to be a U.S. Army veteran.
While inside the residence, Lewis “engaged in a physical wrestling match” with an opponent “the defendant thought...was a girl,” according to criminal complaints which detail the 2:30 AM incident.
Upon subsequently discovering that he had been tussling with “a transgender person,” matters “escalated into what was believed to be a physical fight,” a sheriff’s deputy reported.
The victim was “transported to the hospital with a swollen and purple in color left eye and face covered in blood,” the complaint alleges. During police questioning, Lewis reportedly admitted “he was angry when he found out they were a transgender person.”
Lewis was arrested and charged with a pair of felony assault counts, one of which is categorized as a hate crime. He was booked into the Johnson County jail on $5000 bond and a judge has ordered him to have no contact with the victim. (2 pages)
