Hate Crime Charges Dismissed For Heroic Figure Who Destroyed Satanic Display At State Capitol

Michael Cassidy, a former Republican congressional candidate from Mississippi, has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of third-degree criminal mischief after admitting to destroying a Satanic Temple display at the Iowa State Capitol in December. Because he pled guilty, prosecutors dropped the “hate crime” felony charge that had been added to the charges he had to fight.

The plea agreement calls for Cassidy to receive a deferred judgment with two years of probation, an $855 civil penalty and an undetermined amount of restitution. He will also be required to participate in a victim-offender dialogue with representatives of the Satanic Temple if requested.

Lynn Hicks, a spokesman for the Polk County Attorney’s Office, maintained that prosecutors stand by their decision to bring the hate crime charge. Hicks cited various factors considered in the plea offer, including Cassidy’s lack of criminal history and his willingness to take full accountability for his actions.

The vandalism occurred after the Satanic Temple of Iowa installed a display depicting the horned deity Baphomet under rules permitting religious groups to reserve display space in the Capitol. 

In a statement to a conservative website, Cassidy said, “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.” Supporters raised more than $134,000 for his defense via a Christian fundraising site, praising his actions as a display of “bravery and conviction.”