Men get probation in antigay egg-throwing

Two men who threw eggs at a booth manned by a San Luis Obispo, Calif., university gay club were placed on probation, fined, and ordered to perform 100 hours each of community service. William Bugenig, 22, and Nicolas Taliaferro, 20, pleaded no contest on August 19 to misdemeanor civil rights and vandalism violations for throwing eggs at a booth staffed by Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals United at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, on February 13. Bugenig and Taliaferro egged the booth about 45 minutes after the conclusion of a march on campus celebrating Same-Sex Handholding Day. Prosecutors didn't charge the men with a hate crime. On Monday superior court judge Christopher Money placed each defendant on 18 months' probation and ordered each to pay a $300 fine and perform community service for the AIDS Support Network. Bugenig had earlier expressed his remorse. "I didn't mean any harm to anybody," said Bugenig, who graduated from Cal Poly in July. "Anyone that was there, I totally apologize for it. I know I was in the wrong."