Mississippi man charged with destroying Iowa Capitol Satanic Temple display pleads guilty – By William Morris (Des Moines Register) / May 24, 2024
A Mississippi man accused of vandalizing a display from the Satanic Temple of Iowa in the state Capitol last December is pleading guilty to criminal mischief in exchange for a felony charge being dropped.
Michael Cassidy, a former Republican congressional candidate, was charged with a felony under under Iowa’s hate crime statute for destroying the display, which depicted the horned deity Baphomet.
Cassidy, 36, later told a conservative website that “my conscience is held captive to the word of God, not to bureaucratic decree. And so I acted.”
The vandalism, which occurred Dec. 14, came after intensive media coverage and consternation from political leaders over the display, which was installed under rules permitting religious groups to reserve display space in the Capitol.
