{London, Kentucky}...Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Hanly A. Ingram ordered 20 year old Anthony Ray Jenkins of Partridge and 37 year old Jason David Jenkins of Cumberland, two eastern Kentucky men charged in a hate crime, held until a June 18th trial. A federal grand jury returned a three count indictment charging Jason and Anthony Jenkins with kidnapping and assaulting Kevin Pennington in April of last year. The indictment also charges the men with conspiracy, and says the defendants enlisted the help of two women to lure Pennington into a truck. According to the indictment, Anthony and Jason Jenkins transported Pennington to a secluded area of the Kingdom Come State Park in Harlan County and assaulted him. Prosecutors say Pennington was assaulted because he is gay. Anthony Jenkins' wife, Alexis Jenkins, and sister, Mable Jenkins, have pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced in August. Federal prosecutors say this is the first federal case charging a violation of a hate crime law passed in 2009.
