16 years in jail for burning gay flag
He was sentenced to 16 years in prison due to previous offenses.įor intoning his religious beliefs in the KCCI interview, Martinez became something of a cause celebre for Christian activists.Ī Christian website, LifeSiteNews, launched a petition calling the sentence ‘excessive’ and urged the Iowa Court of Appeals to “step in and reduce this disproportionate sentence!” He might have been charged with theft, reckless.
If this man had stolen and burned an American flag, he would not have been convicted of a hate crime, and he probably would not have been sentenced to 16 years in jail. Martinez was found guilty of a hate crime, third-degree harassment, and reckless use of fire (arson) as a habitual offender. Fifteen years of that sentence are due to the fact that prosecutors deemed stealing and burning a gay pride flag as a hate crime.
#16 years in jail for burning gay flag trial
The TV interview was played at his trial as evidence. “It’s a blessing from the Lord to be able to stand for his word firmly against all odds, plain and simple.” “It is a judgment and it is written to execute vengeance on the heathen and punishments upon the people… and it is my honor to do so,” he continued. Knowingly, willingly, and intentionally did I do that. “I’m guilty, I’m guilty as charged,” he proudly announced. Martinez admitted he committed the June flag burning crime during a television interview with local news station KCCI. If found guilty, a judge could choose to add another year to his already considerable sentence. The Tribune notes that indecent exposure is a serious misdemeanor in Iowa. During the security act, a female officer reports he sat on his bed and performed another ‘sex act’ while smiling at the guard.Īccording to a criminal complaint filed against Martinez the guard communicated with him over the jail’s intercom system informing him “If the behavior continued, he could be charged, to which he responded, ‘Oh, I know.’” Adolfo Martinez (mugshot via Story County)
That same night, Martinez allegedly repeated the ‘sex act’ before guards conducted a security check. Video footage from later that day showed the 30-year-old standing in the middle of his cell “performing a sex act with his pants off.” Martinez allegedly told a female guard “you smell freaking good” on November 30.
The Ames Tribune reports an internal investigation reviewing jail footage found “multiple incidents where he made ‘inappropriate’ comments and performed sex acts in front of various female detention officers from Nov. The proliferation of of so-called “Hate crime laws” in America, which when applied, can unevenly determine which groups receive special status or protection, has resulted in affording certain groups the freedom from consequences while still others find themselves at the business end of the billy club.ĭebate over tying sexual identity and sexual preferences to civil rights protections is increasingly dividing Americans nationwide.File this under “Making a bad thing worse.”Īdolfo Martinez is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence after ripping down and burning a Pride flag flying at the Ames United Church of Christ in Ames, Iowa, last summer.īut Martinez isn’t content to simply serve his time. Since that time there have been numerous lawsuits over the act of desecrating the American flag, but no criminal charges or jail time has been given for the burning the flag. In contrast to the LGBTQ flag and protections, a debate over burning the American flag has raged in America since 1968 when protestors burned American flags to protest the military conflict in Vietnam. “But we believe God is still speaking to us through the Bible and through each other, through prayer, through worship and because of that we’ve been able to get to a place where we can affirm all of God’s children, including queer people,” Gebbie said.