Man sentenced to 16 years in prison for burning stolen LGBT flag outside of a strip club
Burning occurred in June after man stole flag from church
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for setting fire to a church LGBTQ flag, after a jury found him guilty on several charges.
Adolfo Martinez from Iowa was convicted in Ames last month on hate crime charges — a class “D” felony in the state — as well as third-degree harassment and reckless use of fire.
The incident took place early on 11 June, when police say Martinez approached the United Church of Christ in Ames, and then burned it outside of the Dangerous Curves Gentleman’s Club, a strip club.
Martinez, police say, later admitted to police that he took the flag and burned it. He used lighter fluid, he said, and a common lighter.
The hate crime charges were added by Story County attorney Jessica Reynolds who said the crime was carried out against the property because of “what it represents as far as sexual orientation.”
He was convicted of the crimes in November.
He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the hate crime of arson, and another year for the reckless use of explosives of fire. He also received a 30 day sentence for harassment.
Ms Reynolds told USA Today that Martinez is the first person to be convicted of a hate crime in the county.
The June burning of the flag came just weeks before the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which are credited as a key starting moment for the gay pride movement in the United States.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments