Florida man sentenced for attacking Jewish teens

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after earlier pleading no contest to attacking four Jewish teenagers who were walking along a road while dressed for a religious holiday in 2022.

Noah Amato, 19, of Ponte Vedra, was sentenced Friday for aggravated battery and carrying a concealed firearm in the October 2022 attack. Local news outlets reported his sentence also covers a no contest plea to fleeing police and reckless driving in 2023.

Investigators said Amato and a friend were riding a bike in Ponte Vedra Beach in 2022 while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Amato shouted a slur to a group of four Jewish teenagers who were out celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Amato then hit one of the teenagers with a handgun in the face, deputies said, and fired the gun near the teenager's head, leaving burns on the teen's face.

Amato's attorney disputed parts of the account, saying there was a verbal confrontation between Amato and the Jewish teens. The lawyer said the teen who was targeted by Amato, Zalman Barrocas, had shoved Amato first.

You are not alone

Recent reports involving a Winnipeg firefighter with a history of criminal harassment and protection order violations, and a Winnipeg police officer charged in a physical and sexual intimate partner violence assault investigation, should prompt a broader conversation about accountability when allegations of gender-based violence involve individuals in positions of public trust.

I wrote a letter to the editor to the Free Press that was published Aug. 4 about the WFPS case, and I believe those comments are relevant to this moment as well.

Rather than reiterate those points, I would like to address those impacted by gender-based violence.

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: I have an itch that needs to be scratched every couple of days. I sneak home with a new young woman from my workplace, who is a witch, and spend an hour or more with her, learning some things my wife doesn’t know anything about. It’s not really sexual with this new person yet, but I’m feeling intrigued by her witchy-ness — and more.

I’m fascinated and want to learn whatever she’s willing to teach me as we go along. This is especially cool now my “magic woman” has told me she’s interested by the darkness in me. Whatever that means. Nobody’s ever noticed that before.

I feel my wife really doesn’t need to know I’m into this stuff. It would only hurt her, and it may lead to nothing. But how do you keep a secret from your partner for any length of time when they know your every mood and can almost smell your secrets?

— Feeling Insecure, West End