Man charged with hate crime against NAS Whidbey sailor

Published 3:33 pm Friday, November 13, 2015

An Oak Harbor man is facing a hate-crime charge for allegedly assaulting a gay sailor at the barracks at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station in May, according to court documents.

Patrick J. Wilson, 36, allegedly used homophobic slurs against a sailor before punching him in the face during an alcohol-fueled night. The alleged victim suffered a broken nose and fractured orbital bones, which caused internal bleeding and required surgery, according to the report by Navy security officers.

Prosecutors charged Wilson in Island County Superior Court Nov. 9 with malicious harassment, second-degree assault and assault in the fourth degree.

Under the malicious harassment charge, prosecutors allege that Wilson intentionally caused injury to the man “because of his perception of the victim’s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or mental, physical or sensory handicap,” according to the prosecutor’s office.

The report indicates that Wilson, a civilian, and the alleged victim were at a bar in downtown Oak Harbor on the night of May 15. Afterward, a small group of people drove to a convenience store to get alcohol and then went to the barracks at the Navy base.

Wilson became belligerent and yelled homophobic slurs at one of the sailors. Wilson later apologized and hugged the sailor; they urinated together, the report states.

The two men then went outside and joined the group at the smoke pit. Wilson suddenly punched the man in the face; another man got between them and Wilson also punched him in the face, the report states.

Wilson and another man ran from the scene, but security officers chased after and caught them, the report states.

Wilson was very drunk and uncooperative, the officers wrote. He told the officers that there were no homosexual sailors in his Navy, using slurs to denote gays. He claimed that the sailor touched him in a sexual manner and that he reacted violently, though none of the witnesses reported seeing inappropriately touching, the report indicates.

“He was resistant, very drunk, but also refused medical attention, being verbally violent towards medical staff if they touched him,” the report states. “Wilson would not stop yelling and crying.”