The woman charged with a hate crime has given Buffalo police a statement confirming that

she stabbed Lindsay C. Harmon, 29, early New Year's Day outside a Main Street nightclub,

police sources said late Friday.

But Suzanne-Deanna Grover, 21, claims she acted in self-defense, those sources added.

Buffalo police have charged Grover, who gave a City of Tonawanda address, with second-

degree assault and a bias-motivated crime, according to police reports.

In her detailed statement, Grover claimed that Harmon's group had attacked her verbally and

physically, sources said.

Central District Detectives Timothy Rooney and Edward Cotter arrested Grover on Wednesday

night, almost three weeks after the attack.

Law enforcement sources explained the delay by saying that witnesses have given police

conflicting versions of events preceding the stabbing.

"It was diligent police work by our detectives at B District, especially Tim Rooney and Ed

Cotter, who were on the case the moment the incident happened," said Michael J. DeGeorge,

Buffalo police spokesman.

DeGeorge and top police officials declined to comment further.

The hate-crime part of the case elevates the assault charge from a Class D felony to a

Class C felony, Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III said Friday. A Class D

felony can lead to up to seven years in prison, while a Class C felony raises the maximum to

15 years.

Sedita explained why Grover was charged under the hate-crime provision.

"There was an allegation that there were anti-gay epithets or slanders uttered [against

Harmon] before or during the alleged assault," the district attorney said.

The arrest papers filed against Grover say that "the defendant intentionally selected

Lindsay Harmon because of a belief or perception regarding Lindsay Harmon's sexual

orientation."

Sedita wouldn't comment on any statement given by Grover, although he did take issue with

an earlier broadcast report that she had "confessed" to the crime.

The district attorney promised an in-depth grand jury investigation.

"This is the kind of case where every piece of evidence we have is going to go to the grand

jury," Sedita said. "This is going to be a full-fledged investigation."

Following that probe, he emphasized, the grand jury will decide whether to sustain the

current charges, file more serious or less serious charges or even dismiss the case.

Sedita explained the difficulties in determining whether a crime qualifies as a hate crime.

"In and of itself, using an anti-gay or racial epithet is probably not going to be enough

to [prove] a hate crime against a person," he said. "However, it can be a very important piece

of evidence, if coupled with other evidence."

In other words, a one-time use of any kind of street slur, without corroborative evidence,

might not be enough to establish a hate-crime motive.

"The motive is very difficult to prove, in any case," Sedita said.

Harmon's right eyelid and eyeball were severely cut in the attack.

On Jan. 15, at a "Take Back the Night" rally that began with a candlelight vigil in

Allentown's Days Park, gay activists read a statement from Harmon.

"I have a long road ahead of me before I physically recover from this attack, but mentally

I will never be the same again," Harmon stated. "My life and the life for my family changed

forever on New Year's Eve."

Harmon added that her "New Year's resolution" was to keep the issues of acceptance and "not

just tolerance" for gays and lesbians in the public eye as long as possible.

"I didn't ask for this notoriety," she said, "But I won't turn away from it, either."