(DailyChive.com) – A Christian military veteran who beheaded a Satan statue in the Iowa Capitol entered a guilty plea to escape a possible five-year prison term.
Michael Cassidy, who once unsuccessfully ran for Mississippi state House, was charged with third-degree criminal mischief for vandalizing a Satan statue, which prosecutors believed was an act of hate crime based on “the victim’s religion.”
The Baphomet Satanic statue was displayed in the Iowa State House building under the state rules that allow religious groups to display statues in the capitol during holidays.
At the time, the installation attracted criticism from many conservatives, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who also promised to contribute to Cassidy’s legal fee in the vandalism case.
Cassidy stated that he wanted to act according to God’s wishes and not succumb to any bureaucratic pressure. He further claimed that he destroyed the statue to wake up Christian Americans who are currently being targeted by anti-religious acts by the government.
Liberal attorney Kimberly Graham from Polk County elevated charges against Cassidy and included hate crime, which made him vulnerable to being imprisoned for five years in case of a conviction.
Cassidy, however, entered a guilty plea for third-degree criminal mischief, which allowed him to agree to pay a fine in exchange for having his hate crime charges dropped.
After the verdict, Cassidy’s attorney, Sara Pasquale, accused the prosecutors of targeting her client for his religious beliefs, adding that this decision will also raise awareness about similar cases elsewhere in the country.
Another lawyer of Cassidy, David Younts, praised the excellence of the defense team that cornered prosecutors and forced them to accept a resolution without any significant punishment for Cassidy.
Younts called the court verdict a victory for religious freedom.
On the other hand, Graham’s spokesperson backed the AG office’s decision to bring the hate crime charges against Cassidy and claimed that the prosecution team agreed to a guilty plea due to multiple factors influencing the case.
Copyright 2024, DailyChive.com
