Crime watch

Queer teen alleges hate crime attack by 20-30 high school boys

A Missouri teen alleges a group of boys — twenty to thirty of them — beat her up because she’s gay.

Nylea VanHoutan, 16, told Fox43 the attack occurred as she and three friends were leaving a festival in St. Joseph:

“It was like 20 to 30 of them. They were high school kids because one of my friends said something like she had seen them at school.

It was like in shock, really in shock. And when they did it, they called me a ‘wanna-be boy expletive.’

I’m pretty sure it happened because I was queer. It’s not okay, it’s wrong.”

Sescha Hicks, VanHoutan’s mom, says she’s “super angry” about the incident, which she considers a hate crime.

Related: “Take Your Pants Off”: Cops Investigate Bizarre Hate Crime Video

If you have any info, authorities request that you report it to the St. Joseph Police Department.

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