Lake Park Man Charged With Hate Crime In Fargo Found Not Guilty
FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — A jury in Fargo finds a Lake Park, Minnesota man not guilty of a hate crime.
The simple assault misdemeanor was filed against 35-year-old Kirk Jensen last December and he entered a not guilty plea in February.
Jensen was accused of punching a gay man outside Cactus Jacks Saloon in October.
He claimed he acted in self-defense.
The jury trial started on Tuesday and the verdict was read early Wednesday afternoon.
It was the first case to be tried under Fargo’s new hate crime ordinance, which passed in June 2021.