A Mississippi man accused of destroying a statue of a pagan idol at Iowa's state Capitol pleaded guilty Friday to a reduced charge in return for prosecutors dropping a felony hate crime count.
A man prays in Latin in front of a display installed by Satanic Temple Iowa at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines, Iowa, on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. A Mississippi man accused of destroying a statue of the pagan …DES MOINES, Iowa — A Mississippi man accused of destroying a statue of a pagan idol at Iowa’s state Capitol pleaded guilty Friday to a reduced charge in return for prosecutors dropping a felony hate crime count.
The statue of the horned deity Baphomet was brought to the Capitol by the Satanic Temple of Iowa under state rules allowing religious displays in the building during the holidays. The move drew strong criticism from state and national leaders, including Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Florida Gov. and then-presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, both Republicans.
“I saw this blasphemous statue and was outraged,” Cassidy told the conservative website The Sentinel in December. “My conscience is held captive to the word of God, not to bureaucratic decree. And so I acted.”
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