Off The Record
American Citizens Are Urged To Reject Satan And Embrace Jesus By A Veteran Who Removed A Statue Of Satan
The prosecutor’s office announced this week that a man has been charged with a felony under the state’s hate crime legislation for attacking and beheading a legal statue erected by the Satanic Temple at Iowa’s Capitol in December.
The Polk County Attorney’s Office announced on Tuesday that Michael Cassidy, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully for the state House of Representatives in Mississippi, faces charges of third-degree criminal mischief in violation of person rights.
The prosecutor’s office stated, “Evidence shows the defendant made statements to law enforcement and the public indicating he destroyed the property because of the victim’s religion.”
The 36-year-old Cassidy was accused of a misdemeanor. The hate crime statutes in Iowa classify the upgraded charge as a class D felony.
Lauderdale resident Cassidy ran as a Republican for Mississippi State House District 45, but Democrat Keith Jackson defeated him in November with a 55% to 38% margin.
He is referred to in his campaign biography as “a Christian conservative who loves our nation” and a former Navy pilot.
Days after he decapitated the statue, Cassidy made an appearance on Fox News, referring to it as “Christian civil disobedience.”
He said, “nobody was there, and it offended me. It touched a nerve. It was, you know, righteous indignation.” On Fox News, Cassidy claimed to have “pulled his head off” in reference to the Baphomet display.
At the time of the incident, NBC affiliate WHO in Des Moines was informed by Minister Mortimer Adramelech of the Satanic Temple of Iowa that the exhibit was up for the holidays.
The group complied with the application standards for the display, according to the Iowa Department of Administrative Services.
“All religions have equal rights in the public forum under the First Amendment of the Constitution,” Adramelech told the broadcaster, “As Americans we have every right to be here just like anyone else.”
According to the Satanic Temple, it rejects both supernatural and Satanic existence. The group promotes “effective and artistic protest,” according to its website.
The county prosecutor’s office stated that the display could not be repaired.
“The Polk County Attorney’s Office seeks fair and just resolutions of all cases, as we continue to apply the law equally to all, regardless of religion, race, sexual orientation, or economic status,” the statement read.
An email sent to Cassidy’s legal company on Wednesday night requesting comment was not immediately answered by one of her attorneys.
According to its page in Encyclopedia Britannica, Baphomet is a winged creature with a goat head.
It was mentioned when Philip IV of France accused the Knights Templar of worshiping it.
According to a blog on the subject on the website of the National Archives in the United Kingdom, Philip had members of the Knights Templar burned at the stake over accusations that they were more loyal to the pope than their king and because Philip was under financial duress and the Templars were wealthy.
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