Ex-Marine John Kelly O’Leary accused of committing a potential hate crime last year is scheduled to stand pretrial beginning today.
O’Leary pled not guilty in a court appearance on April 10 of 2013 after he was arrested for getting into a bar fight that left a gay man unconscious. Dishonorably discharged in October 2013, he was arrested April 7 outside a home in Chicago suburb Evergreen Park after the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) issued a felony complaint for his arrest.
Police said that on September 3, 2012, O’Leary and three other Marines entered Silver Fox, a gay bar near Redondo and 4th St. A fight then broke out between two bar patrons and the Marines in the street after the bar had closed. During the fight, one of the patrons was allegedly attacked by O’Leary and was left in a state of unconsciousness. The victim regained consciousness when medics and police arrived and was sent to a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries, police said.
If convicted, O’Leary faces up to 8 years in prison for his involvement in the fight that left the man unconscious.
His next hearing will be held on October 16.
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