“Unlucky And Unskilled” 20 Year Old Drinker Gets Probation For Anti-Gay Assault Outside Lincoln Nebraska Q Club

According to The Lincoln Journal-Star, Lucas Clifford does not necessarily have a problem with homosexuals- he has a problem with booze. "I can understand the fact that 19- and 20-year-olds drink beer," Lancaster County District Judge Jeffrey Cheuvront told the 20-year-old, who has been cited four times for minor in possession. "I'm stunned that somebody can be so unlucky and unskilled at underage drinking." Cheuvront then sent Clifford back to his parents' farm near Hayes Center to serve probation for a crime that, originally, could have landed him in prison for five years. Clifford had initially been charged with a hate crime in connection to the beating a 23-year-old man outside a gay bar in early September after hurling anti-gay insults. Under state law, the hate crime designation elevates the crime from misdemeanour assault to a felony. But prosecutors dropped the hate crime designation, Clifford pleaded guilty, and, on Friday, he was sentenced to 15 months' probation. The charge was downgraded for two reasons, County Attorney Joe Kelly said after the hearing. First, the court date was approaching but the victim was scarce. "We were having extreme difficulty contacting or producing our victim for trial." And prosecutors likely could have lost at trial. Under the law, they would need to prove motivation -- that Clifford hit the victim because the victim was gay. But in this case, Clifford likely would have hit the victim anyway. "The facts seemed to tend to show he was saying some very offensive things, but at that point he had every intent to assault regardless," Kelly said. On September 3, Clifford used a fake ID to drink inside the Q Club. Then, outside the club, he was accused of shouting anti-gay insults at a man before punching him in the face. A police officer saw the attack; witnesses heard the insults. At the time, it was the 29th hate crime of the year reported in Lincoln. And, at the time, it was first one that resulted in the formal hate crime charge. Clifford originally gave police a fake Indiana ID, leading them to believe he was 22-year-old Luke Stevens and leading to additional charges. After his arrest, Clifford enrolled in an anger management class at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, his attorney, John Stevens Berry Jr., told the judge. He also attended a UNL drug and alcohol program until February when he was cited again for underage drinking. "He's made some mistakes with alcohol," Berry said. "He has to make a decision and decide whether to use alcohol or to stop. He intends to stop." Clifford's drinking cost him his chance to attend UNL, Berry said. He is on probation for his latest charge, and back on the farm, which is a good thing, because there are fewer temptations. With his parents watching, Clifford apologized for his actions. "I don't plan to continue to live this way, to keep coming back to court and everything."