WESTMINSTER - A Caucasian woman was convicted and sentenced today for the unprovoked hate crime of punching a Hispanic man in the face and yelling racial slurs at him. Jennifer Renee Vanveldhuizen, 36, San Diego, pleaded guilty to a court offer to one felony count of hate crime battery causing injury. She was sentenced by the Honorable Debra Carillo to three years of probation, one year in jail stayed pending completion of probation, 90 days in a residential alcohol rehabilitation program, and a 10-week anger management program. Upon completion of her 90-day residential treatment and 10-week anger management programs, the court will reduce Vanveldhuizen’s conviction to a misdemeanor.
The People objected to the sentence and pending reduction of the conviction to a misdemeanor, arguing that the sentence was too lenient in light of the defendant’s unprovoked violence toward the victim. The People also argued that the crime rises to the level of a felony because the victim was targeted solely for his race.
At approximately 7:15 p.m. on Oct. 3, 2011, 50-year-old John Doe was working at his job cleaning the downtown Huntington Beach area on Main Street and emptying trashcans. The victim is Hispanic.
As John Doe was cleaning a brick planter bench, Vanveldhuizen yelled at the victim and approached him. The intoxicated defendant yelled racial slurs and profanity at the victim including, “I f****** hate you b******!” Vanveldhuizen then punched John Doe in the face without provocation, causing his lip to swell.
The defendant and the victim do not know each other. The Huntington Beach Police Department (HBPD) responded to the scene and investigated this case. Vanveldhuizen was arrested by HBPD at the scene.
