White Man Who Punched Black Middle Schooler In The Face Sentenced To 41 Months In Prison

A white man who allegedly punched a Black child has been sentenced to just under four years in prison. According to The Bellingham Harold, Paul Jonathan Bittner allegedly attacked an 11-year-old boy on June 12, 2024. He was charged with “second-degree assault of a child and commission of a hate crime.”

Bittner initially entered a not guilty plea but decided to plea guilty on July 15. He was found guilty of the two felonies at his court hearing. He was ordered to 41 months behind bars and will spend 18 months in community custody after his time in prison.

“I want to extend heartfelt hope that today brings healing for the victim and their family,” Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund said in a statement, per The Bellingham Harold. “Hate isn’t welcome in Bellingham, and we continue to stand with them and with our community against hate and discrimination.”

Paul Bittner allegedly punched a Black middle schooler during a class field trip

Following a class field trip to the Pickford Film Center, the police report indicated that the boy and his classmates were walking back to their school as a group. As they strolled past the county courthouse, Bittner ended up colliding with the kids and found himself walking directly in front of the boy. While the boy was talking to his white classmate, the 43-year-old man abruptly turned around and hit him in the face with a closed fist—which left him with a chipped tooth. 

After the alleged assault, Bittner reportedly mentioned something about how the boy was speaking to a white person. He also uttered the N-word several times. In the police report, the boy said he believed the altercation was racially motivated.

“Acts of violence against people motivated by any aspect of their identity are intolerable, and our police department carefully investigates each incident so it can be handled with justice,” Bellingham Police Department Chief Rebecca Mertzig wrote in an email on Tuesday. “It was thanks to quick work by our officers and community members that we were able to hold the offender accountable.”

Paul Bittner was initially deemed unfit to stand trial

After Bittner was arrested, he was initially deemed unfit to stand trial and was even committed to Western State Hospital, where he remained for over five months. During his stay, doctors diagnosed him with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type.

Following the verdict and sentencing, the boy’s father, DeVante Blow, is pleased with the outcome: “I’m feeling good. I’m feeling as if justice was served and the community is safer,” he said.

Blow and his family are doing everything they can to ensure that the boy can move forward in a healthy manner, adding that he hopes that Bittner receives the mental health treatment he needs.

“There’s not a number that we wanted thrown at (Bittner),” Blow said. “It was just making sure that ultimately Mr. Bittner and his state of mind were corrected more so than just throwing him to jail. That doesn’t solve the problem, so we need to solve the problem at the core. And I believe we’re headed that way.”