Two brothers from Fulton are facing hate crime charges after state police say the pair twice assaulted a transgender person on the same day.
Troopers learned the 19-year-old victim was riding a bicycle on State Route 3 in Fulton November 1 when Shane Thomas and Cody Thomas stopped their vehicle and assaulted the victim. About an hour later, the Thomas brothers spotted the victim on Route 3 in the town of Volney, where only Cody Thomas got out to assault the victim. Police also learned that both brothers shouted homophobic slurs at the victim multiple times in the weeks before the attack. Both brothers are charged with third degree assault and released on their own recognizance.