Guilty Pleas in Hate Crime Case

Two southwest Kansas men have pleaded guilty for their roles in a hate crime against black Somali men in Dodge City.

The Justice Department said 24-year-old Armando Sotello pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of a hate crime for the June 2015 attack on a Somali man who was sitting on a bench with two other Somoli men outside an African grocery store.

Thirty-two-year-old Omar Cantero Martinez pleaded guilty to one count of perjury for falsely testifying during last month’s federal jury trial related to the hate crimes.

Martinez admitted during his plea hearing that he used a broken glass bottle to stab one victim and slash another without justification. He also acknowledged using racial and anti-Somali slurs during the attack.

Sentencing is set for Feb. 22.