Iowa man who sets LGBTQ flag on fire gets over 15 years in prison

Source: Fox News
Published: Dec 20, 2019
Author: Bradford Betz
Post Date: 2019-12-20 10:18:14 by misterwhite
Views: 5505

An Iowa man who set fire to a church LGBTQ flag in June was sentenced Wednesday to over 15 years in prison.

Adolfo Martinez, 30, was found guilty last month of a hate crime, third-degree harassment and reckless use of fire, the Des Moines Register reported.

Martinez stole an LGBTQ flag hanging from the United Church of Christ in Ames – about 35 miles north of Des Moines – and set it on fire outside a strip club on June 11, police said.

Adolfo Martinez was sentenced to prison Wednesday for multiple charges related to burning an LGBTQ flag.

Martinez admitted to police that he stole the flag from church and burned it because he opposed homosexuality.

Martinez was arrested in June and convicted last month.

He received 15 years for the hate crime of arson, one year for the reckless use of explosives or fire and 30 days for harassment.

Story County court records showed the sentences are to be served consecutively.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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#1: Hondo68    To: misterwhite (#0)

He received 15 years for the hate crime of arson, one year for the reckless use of explosives or fire and 30 days for harassment.

Story County court records showed the sentences are to be served consecutively.

That's 16 years and 30 days.

If it were concurrent it would be 15 years, but it's not.

Hondo68 posted on 2019-12-20 10:31:14   Reply   Private Reply

#2: misterwhite    To: Hondo68 (#1)

If it were concurrent it would be 15 years, but it's not.

Correct. Which is why the headline read, "Iowa man who sets LGBTQ flag on fire gets over 15 years in prison".

misterwhite posted on 2019-12-20 10:36:13   Reply   Private Reply

#3: Mudboy Slim    To: misterwhite (#2)

Has anyone ever gone to prison for 16+ years for burning an American flag? Seems a bit excessive.

Mudboy Slim posted on 2019-12-20 11:53:12   Reply   Private Reply

#4: IbJensen    To: misterwhite (#0)

United Church of Christ

This 'church' has nothing to do with Jesus Christ and everything to do with leftist, religion destruction.

IbJensen posted on 2019-12-20 12:05:39   Reply   Private Reply

#5: misterwhite    To: Mudboy Slim (#3)

Has anyone ever gone to prison for 16+ years for burning an American flag? Seems a bit excessive.

That's what struck me about this story.

misterwhite posted on 2019-12-20 12:26:48   Reply   Private Reply

#6: misterwhite    To: IbJensen (#4)

misterwhite posted on 2019-12-20 12:32:20   Reply   Private Reply

#7: Mudboy Slim    To: misterwhite (#5)

Gotta believe that gets heavily reduced upon appeal. Still, as a loyal UVA Wahoo, if I were to purchase (key difference in abovementioned case) a Va Tech Hokie flag and proceeded to set it aflame, would I be guilty of a hate crime?

Mudboy Slim posted on 2019-12-20 14:11:34   Reply   Private Reply

#8: WWG1WWA    To: misterwhite (#0)

Meanwhile, Antifa can hit Trump supporters over the head with a bike lock and get...nothing.

WWG1WWA posted on 2019-12-21 04:51:09   Reply   Private Reply

#9: jeremiad    To: misterwhite (#0)

Sorry, but he has an absolute right to burn the flag, if it is someone elses, he can be charged with destruction of private property, theft or vandalism. NOTHING comes to the level of felony here. He also has the absolute right to call a Spade a spade, or a fag a fag. Hate crimes are unconstitutional. If the Courts rule it is not protected speech but protected classes that is important, they should be removed from office and stripped of all property at the minimum.

jeremiad posted on 2019-12-23 23:31:18   Reply   Private Reply

#10: Pinguinite    To: jeremiad (#9)

I don't see how it even qualifies as a hate crime as there was no bodily harm or threat of bodily harm to any person. He made a political statement by burning the flag. Seems his only crime was that he stole the flag that he eventually burned.

By making the prison sentences consecutive, it means he's essentially ineligable for parole, as parole is not an option for any prisoner until after they are on their last consecutive sentence. This is an insane sentence for what the guy did.

Pinguinite posted on 2019-12-24 03:26:15   Reply   Private Reply

#11: buckeroo    To: Pinguinite (#10)

I don't see how it even qualifies as a hate crime as there was no bodily harm or threat of bodily harm to any person. He made a political statement by burning the flag. Seems his only crime was that he stole the flag that he eventually burned.

To use the old adage ... "Life, liberty or property" ... applies to personal conduct as well. The felon is as sick as those he attacked.

buckeroo posted on 2019-12-24 07:01:16   Reply   Private Reply

#12: A K A Stone    To: buckeroo (#11)

To use the old adage ... "Life, liberty or property" ... applies to personal conduct as well. The felon is as sick as those he attacked.

You are one crazy faggot lover. You make no impact with your strange comments. Pack much fudge?

A K A Stone posted on 2019-12-24 08:54:34   Reply   Private Reply

#13: misterwhite    To: jeremiad (#9)

Odd that burning an LGBT "flag" in Ames, Iowa is more hateful than burning the U.S. flag at a national demonstration.

misterwhite posted on 2019-12-24 10:27:06   Reply   Private Reply

#14: misterwhite    To: All (#0)

Martinez admitted to police that he stole the flag from church and burned it because he opposed homosexuality.

Note that he didn't say he burned it because he opposed homosexuals. Just their lifestyle choice.

And who doesn't? Drug-fueled sex orgies. Anonymous sex with strangers. A different sex partner every week. Dangerous anal sex. Hanging out in restrooms, truck stops, and parks looking for sex. Corrupting young boys.

We're supposed to accept that behavior? I wouldn't accept a heterosexual who lived that way, so why would I accept a homosexual who lived that way?

misterwhite posted on 2019-12-24 10:34:56   Reply   Private Reply

#15: Pinguinite    To: buckeroo (#11)

To use the old adage ... "Life, liberty or property" ... applies to personal conduct as well.

That's a stretch. As I see it anyway. Kinda like how the feds invoke "interstate commerce" any time they want jurisdiction over an alleged crime when they can't cite anything else. Like a crime involving a car that is tagged in a different state than the state where the crime occurred.

It really opens the door to severe punishment any time a crime involve people of more than one race.

Personally, I consider hate crimes to be unconstitutional as they cause punishments to be different based on race, and that offends the 14th Amendment mandate that all enjoy "equal protection under the law". Punishment should not be different for victimizing someone because of the color of the victim's skin.

Pinguinite posted on 2019-12-24 16:13:35   Reply   Private Reply

#16: buckeroo    To: A K A Stone (#12)

You are one crazy faggot lover. You make no impact with your strange comments. Pack much fudge?

Speaking of faggots, what did you do to yukon?

buckeroo posted on 2019-12-24 21:27:33   Reply   Private Reply