A former Republican congressional candidate was accused of vandalizing an Iowa Satanic Temple statue that was part of a holiday display at the state Capitol but was cleared of hate crime charges.
Michael Cassidy, a Navy Reserve veteran from Mississippi, pleaded guilty Friday to misdemeanor criminal mischief as part of a plea agreement to drop a felony hate crime charge. The Des Moines Register reported.
According to court documents, Cassidy, 36, admitted to “partially dismantling an exhibit at the Iowa State Capitol without the right or permission to do so.”
A horned statue depicting the pagan idol Baphomet. Accepted by various occult groups The statue was part of a controversial holiday display at the Iowa State Capitol in December, after Cassidy attacked it, causing the statue’s head to shatter into multiple pieces.
The exhibit also reportedly included a pentagram, a candle, a ram’s head covered in a mirror, and “fundamental tenets” of the Satanic Temple, including a belief in the “freedom to offend.”
set up It sparked outrage and divided the state Republican Party.Some called for it to be removed, while others defended freedom of speech.
Iowa law allows religious displays inside the state Capitol during the holiday season.
“The Devil has no place in our society and should not be recognized as a ‘religion’ by the federal government,” Florida Governor and then-presidential candidate Ron DeSantis previously said. I said it with X.
“I’m going to donate to this veterans’ legal defense fund,” he added.
“I was outraged to see this blasphemous statue,” Cassidy said. Sentinel During December.
“My conscience is bound by the word of God, not the dictates of government officials,” he said, “so I acted.”
The presentation Damaged “beyond repair” The group Facebook Post at that time.
“Happy Holidays! Long Live Satan!” he added.
Cassidy’s lawyer, Sara Pasquale, told the Register she was “pleased” the hate crime charges had been dropped and hoped the case would bring attention to “similar situations across the country.”
“We have always contested hate crimes and have questioned whether Mr Cassidy was targeted because of his religious beliefs,” she said in a statement.
The defendant was scheduled to go to trial June 3 after the court denied a motion to dismiss the case, but his lawyer pleaded guilty on Friday.
Under the terms of the agreement, he may be required to take part in a victim-perpetrator dialogue with representatives of the Satanic Temple.
With post wire
