Christian veteran Michael Cassidy, who beheaded a satanic altar within the Iowa capital over the vacations, has been charged with a hate crime.
The altar to Baphomet was put in by the Satanic Temple, with approval from the Iowa Legislature. It featured a goat’s head on a red-caped model holding a crimson pentagram wreath.
The show precipitated large controversy, with some arguing that the approval of the shrine was essential to non secular freedom and others arguing that it was a deliberate transfer to torment Christians — particularly because it was positioned close to a Nativity scene.
On December 14, Cassidy ripped the top off and threw it in a garbage can.
Cassidy was charged with fourth-degree legal mischief, a misdemeanor, the subsequent day.
Talking to The Sentinel shortly after the beheading, Cassidy stated he had beheaded the statue with the intention to “awaken Christians to the anti-Christian acts promoted by our government.”
“The world may tell Christians to submissively accept the legitimization of Satan, but none of the founders would have considered government sanction of Satanic altars inside Capitol buildings as protected by the First Amendment,” Cassidy stated. “Anti-Christian values have steadily been mainstreamed more and more in recent decades, and Christians have largely acted like the proverbial frog in the boiling pot of water.”
BREAKING: @RepubSentinel can reveal that Michael Cassidy, a Christian and former navy officer, tore down and beheaded the Devil altar within the Iowa Capitol:https://t.co/rIYIdZOzee pic.twitter.com/tZDsmKM5Pm
— The Sentinel (@RepubSentinel) December 14, 2023
“I saw this blasphemous statue and was outraged,” Cassidy continued. “My conscience is held captive to the word of God, not to bureaucratic decree. And so I acted.”
Cassidy turned himself in to the police after destroying the shrine. The Sentinel reported that the Satanic Temple of Iowa confirmed they intend to press prices.
Polk County prosecutors have added a way more extreme cost now, based on a charging doc made public Tuesday obtained by the Des Moines Register.
The Register reviews that Cassidy is now charged with felony third-degree legal mischief dedicated “in violation of individual rights” below Iowa’s hate crime statute.
“Evidence shows the defendant made statements to law enforcement and the public indicating he destroyed the property because of the victim’s religion,” Lynn Hicks, a spokesman for the Polk County Lawyer’s Workplace, instructed the paper.
We’ve got raised the preliminary $20,000 wanted for @VoteCassidy and his authorized protection in lower than three hours. Thanks on your generosity! We are going to reopen the marketing campaign if extra funds are crucial. https://t.co/FKeNhUXkTQ
— The Sentinel (@RepubSentinel) December 15, 2023
The report added, “Court records show Cassidy is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 15. He has raised more than $84,000 for his legal defense from nearly 2,000 supporters, according to fundraising site GiveSendGo.”
