Corning Woman in Court After Being Charged with Hate Crime
CORNING, N.Y. (WENY) – Earlier today, Christie Speciale, the woman who has been charged with a hate crime following an altercation with an Amish family at the Corning Harvest Festival, was in City Court.
According to Speciale and her attorney, Susan Chana Lask, they have filed for a motion to dismiss the case.
The incident occurred on September 22, when Speciale approached an Amish family who was allegedly selling puppies on Market Street during the Harvest Festival. She accused the family of breeding the puppies in a puppy mill and confronted them on Facebook Live on the matter.
Initially, she was charged with disorderly conduct and simple harassment charges; however, the charges were increased to a hate crime and she now faces stalking in the fourth degree, aggravated harassment in the second degree and disorderly conduct.
According to Steuben County District Attorney Brooks Baker, the charges were elevated to hate crime status because Speciale was specifically targeting the individuals for being Amish. Baker said there is “nothing wrong” with calling out puppy mills, but the issue is the distinction of calling it an “Amish puppy mill.”
“The Amish is a group defined by religion,” Baker said, “Targeting them in particular wanders into hate crime territory.”
Lask disputed these charges, saying there were “no facts whatsoever” that what Speciale had done constituted as a hate crime.
“The prosecutor is wrongfully proceeding as a hate crime because he wants to make a dog and pony show out of this,” said Lask in September. “The claims are only that she was following an Amish man around and she said 'Amish Puppy Mill'. That’s not a hate crime. If it was, the entire staff of the Humane Society of the United States would be in prison.”
Today, during a press conference, Lask said, “She (Speciale) was having a conversation and expressing herself. She was doing it on Facebook Live, speaking to her own followers. At no time did she ever have any kind of motivation against anyone's race or religion. Her motivations were that she was speaking out about puppy mills and animal abuse.”
“Initially, she was arrested for speaking her mind,” Lask continued. “She did curse into her own phone, but she never threatened anybody. She was never violent towards anyone and she never raised her voice.”
Additionally, Lask said five of the puppies reportedly being sold are now in the care of Tanner's P.A.W.S. All five had been looked over by a vet and tested positive for giardia. Giardia is an intestinal parasite that commonly infects puppies. The parasite enters dogs if they drink water or other substances that have been soiled with feces.
Speciale is expected back in court on November 20.