An Alabama man has been arrested on suspicion of committing a hate crime against Muslims in Columbia.
Boone County authorities say 29-year-old Randall Heath, of Salem, Alabama, was arrested Tuesday as he appeared in Boone County Circuit Court on a drunken driving charge.
Authorities allege that in June, Heath shouted anti-Muslim insults at four men who were walking to prayers at the Islamic Center in Columbia. The men said Heath circled the block four times and shouted insults. One of the men who confronted Heath in the vehicle was struck in the arm.
The same day, Heath was arrested when he failed a field sobriety test and refused to take a breath test. He's being held in Boone County jail on $4,500 bond.
