Reckless use of fire with the habitual offender classification (requires two felony convictions) and enhancement carries a sentence of anywhere between three and 15 years in prison. This is the equivalent of a class C felony which carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. The arson charge, with the hate crime designation, means the third degree arson offense is punished one degree higher. This would amount to a maximum of three years and 30 days in jail without the “hate crime” and “habitual offenses” enhancements. Third-degree harassment is a simple misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail, a fine of $65 to $625, or both.
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Reckless use of fire is a serious misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of between $315 and $1,875. Ordinarily, third degree arson is a aggravated misdemeanor up to two years in jail and a fine of between $625 and $6,250. The hate crime designation and his habitual offenses exasperated the sentence. In the Iowa Code, “ hate crime” refers to specific public offenses when committed against a person or a person’s property because of the person’s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, age, or disability, or the person’s association with a person of a certain race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, age, or disability.” Story County Attorney Jessica Reynolds told The Des Moines Register that she added the hate crime charge because what the church’s flag “represents as far as sexual orientation” and his actions represented “criminal mischief.” He stole the flag that was displayed outside the Ames United Church of Christ and burned it outside the Dangerous Curves Gentleman’s Club early the morning of June 11th.Ī jury convicted Martinez last week of third-degree arson in violation of individual rights - hate crime, third-degree harassment, and reckless use of fire as a habitual offender.
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“We understand that no action we take can erase the trauma of this event,” the letter states.A 30-year-old man from Ames, Iowa, Adolfo Martinez, was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison for stealing and setting fire to an LGBTQ Pride flag in June. It also hinted at plans to form a “healing circle,” the details of which will be released at a later date. In response to the flag burning, the university pointed students, faculty and staff to resources available at its counseling center and Diversity and Inclusion Center. “This is a heinous act and there must be consequences for his actions if this school wants to promote a safe environment for all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” the petition states.
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“This is an appalling act of hate against the LGBTQ+ community,” the letter states.Ī new Pride flag was hung at the Student Union, according to Kremiere Jackson, the university’s vice president of public affairs.Īsked if the unnamed student will face disciplinary action, Jackson said that they will go “through the student conduct process.”Īn online petition, signed by nearly 2,000 people as of Friday afternoon, does not call for criminal prosecution of the student but demands “academic consequences for this action, be it removal of scholarship money, suspension, or expulsion.” University leaders, including president Jim Wohlpart, wrote in a public letter on Thursday that the incident “denigrates members of our community” and “violates our most basic values.” The Prosecutor’s Office also declined to provide information about the case and told The Spokesman-Review to file a records request to obtain it. In a post on its Facebook page, the campus police department wrote that it was able to “successfully investigate and apprehend the suspect responsible.”Ī university spokesperson declined to name the student or any charges filed against them, referring questions to the Kittitas County Prosecutor’s Office. Central Washington University leaders quickly condemned the theft and burning of an LGBTQ Pride flag on Thursday.Ī student allegedly stole the rainbow flag from the Student Union and Recreation Center on Wednesday and set it on fire, streaming his actions on social media.