Oct 23
Father Has Extreme Response When Son's Friend Tells Him He Is Gay
READ TIME: 1 MIN.
A dad from Washington put a noose around the neck of his son's friend after the teen answered he is gay.
"On Oct. 21, the 38-year-old man, identified by KIRO 7 as Joseph Arnim Sweeney, heard his son and his 14-year-old friend talking when he decided to approach them, according to a Facebook post by the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office," reports The Olympian.
Sweeney faces multiple charges, including second-degree assault, a hate crime, unlawful firearm possession, and reckless endangerment.
Sweeney approached his son's friend and asked him he was gay. The 14-year old responded, "Yes, is it a crime to be gay in this house?" At this time, Sweeney put the noose around his neck, deputies told KIRO 7.
The boy managed to get away. Sweeney then "lassoed" his son, the report said, who also managed to escape. The 14-year-old went home and told his mom what happened, prompting her to call authorities, deputies said.
At the Sweeney home, local police found a gun, which the man wasn't allowed to own after a domestic violence protection order issued in Kansas City in 2023, authorities told KIRO 7.
Sweeney was arraigned and his bail was "set at $50,000," the report detailed.
