Prosecutors in Iowa have charged a Christian military veteran with a hate crime after he vandalized a satanic statue that was placed in the state’s Capitol last month in Des Moines.
Michael Cassidy beheaded the statue on Dec. 14 after it had been placed in the building by the Satanic Temple before the holidays.
He discarded the head in a nearby trash receptacle.
State law permitted the blasphemous symbol in the building because the satanic group identifies as a religious organization.
Cassidy admitted that he destroyed the group’s statue and was initially charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief, a misdemeanor.
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The man who beheaded the Satanic statue in the Iowa State Capitol, @Mike_Cassidy_MS, explains why he destroyed the idol. pic.twitter.com/UK6RtnSqiT
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 28, 2023
However, the Des Moines Register reported Tuesday that Polk County prosecutors have now charged Cassidy using Iowa’s hate crime statutes.
They claim he violated the civil rights of the state’s avowed satanists — triggering the hate crime enhancement.
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“Evidence shows the defendant made statements to law enforcement and the public indicating he destroyed the property because of the victim’s religion,” Polk County Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Lynn Hicks said.
He is now charged with felony third-degree criminal mischief — a hate crime because Hicks said the statue was destroyed “in violation of individual rights.”
It is not clear what punishment the attorney’s office will seek in court.
Hicks argued the statue, which is of the pagan idol Baphomet, incurred between $750 and $1,500 in damages. That range would make the crime an aggravated misdemeanor.
However, the Iowa Satanic Temple claims the statue will cost $3,000 to repair, bumping the charge up to a felony.
A lawyer for Cassidy has not yet commented on the charging enhancement.
But as the Register noted, attorney Sara Pasquale previously accused the satanists of making noise publicly and in court filings only to “evoke strong emotions and incite others.”
Cassidy said after he smashed the group’s statue that he had acted out of a sense of duty.
“I saw this blasphemous statue and was outraged,” he told The Sentinel. “My conscience is held captive to the word of God, not to bureaucratic decree. And so I acted.”
JUST IN: A Mississippi man is now being charged with a hate crime for allegedly destroying a Satanic Temple holiday display at the Iowa State Capitol in December. https://t.co/iPg7P87EAq pic.twitter.com/Jh6x4nioMe
— WJTV 12 News (@WJTV) January 31, 2024
Cassidy is a Navy veteran who ran for a Mississippi state House seat last year but lost to his Democratic opponent in a blue district.
He said on his campaign website that he joined the military and ultimately became a pilot following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
“I’m a Christian conservative who loves our nation and is committed to preserving the blessings of liberty bestowed upon us by the Founding generation,” Cassidy said in his pitch to voters.
Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds has faced pressure to pardon Cassidy, but she has not commented on whether she intends to do so.
A GiveSendGo campaign for Cassidy’s legal expenses was quickly paused after it exceeded what he requested when he was charged with the misdemeanor. The campaign was reopened after Cassidy said he had been informed that prosecutors were still investigating him.
Donations were coming in quickly Wednesday morning, and the campaign had raised nearly $90,000 as of the time of publication.
One anonymous donor urged Cassidy to “stay strong” and added, “May God bless you for your action against evil.”
