Michael Cassidy, a 35-year-old Navy veteran, faced charges of committing a hate crime on Tuesday, having confessed to beheading a Satanic statue exhibited in the Iowa State Capitol building last month.
A devout Christian residing in Mississippi and a former congressional candidate, Cassidy was apprehended and accused of fourth-degree criminal mischief for his act of beheading the statue. According to court documents, the estimated cost of repairing the damaged statue ranges from $750 to $1,500. Prosecutors contend that Cassidy violated individual rights under Iowa’s hate crime statute. KCCI reported that, based on new evidence, his charge has been elevated to third-degree criminal mischief, classified as a class D felony.
Lynn Hicks, a spokesperson for the Polk County Attorney’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,” as reported by the Des Moines Register.
The Satanic Temple of Iowa had obtained state permission to display a Baphomet statue in the state capitol building, positioning it near Nativity displays during the Christmas holiday.
Shortly after the incident, Cassidy explained his actions to The Republic Sentinel, stating, “I saw this blasphemous statue and was outraged. My conscience is held captive to the word of God, not to bureaucratic decree. And so I acted.”
He added, “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. 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.”
