Salem man committed to mental hospital for bias crime

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – A Salem man who authorities say attacked a restaurant employee with a pipe while calling the worker a terrorist has been found guilty by reason of insanity.

Marion County Judge Susan Tripp on Tuesday placed Jason Lee Kendall under the jurisdiction of the Psychiatric Security Review Board for up to 10 years. He’s been committed to the Oregon State Hospital.

Court documents say the Salem man told an arresting officer in March that he entered the Middle Eastern restaurant after seeing a woman who he thought was being held as a slave because of the style of blouse she was wearing.

The affidavit says Kendall was asked to leave, but soon returned yelling, “Get out of America!” He threw a plastic object at the restaurant worker and hit him with a pipe. The worker suffered a bump on the head.

Kendall was convicted of assault and intimidation.