A white man who punched a young Black boy in the face in a racially motivated attack last summer has been sentenced to more than three years in prison after pleading guilty to felony charges, including a hate crime.
Paul Jonathan Bittner, 43, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault of a child and commission of a hate crime, according to The Bellingham Herald, following an assault he committed on June 12, 2024, in Bellingham, Washington.
Authorities say Bittner, who is white, started walking alongside a group of students and teachers from Whatcom Middle School who had just finished a field trip in downtown Bellingham.
According to court documents, he walked directly in front of an 11-year-old Black student, then suddenly turned around and punched him in the face, chipping the boy’s tooth in the process.
He then allegedly asked the child, “Are you going to talk to a white man like that?” The boy told police that he believed Bittner targeted him because of his race.
After Bittner was taken into custody, he continued making racist remarks, repeatedly used the N-word and made references to assaulting Black people.
He initially pleaded not guilty to the charges he faced.
In August 2024, a judge determined he was not competent to stand trial after he underwent a competency evaluation in which a doctor diagnosed him with bipolar-type schizoaffective disorder.
He was ordered to receive 90 days of inpatient competency restoration treatment at a state psychiatric hospital. He spent more than five months at Western State Hospital.
Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Benjamin Pratt said Bittner showed a “substantially different temperament” during his sentencing hearing than he did initially following his arrest.
A judge sentenced Bittner to 41 months in prison, followed by 18 months in community custody, a form of supervised release in which an offender must adhere to court-ordered conditions.
He is also under a no-contact order with the child for 10 years. Potential restitution is possible in this case.
The boy’s father stated he was pleased with how the case ended.
“I’m feeling good,” the child’s father, DeVante Blow, told The Bellingham Herald following the sentencing. “I’m feeling as if justice was served and the community is safer.”
Blow added that the priority was making sure Bittner’s state of mind was corrected, instead of just tossing him into jail without first addressing his mental and behavioral issues.
“That doesn’t solve the problem, so we need to solve the problem at the core. And I believe we’re headed that way.”
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