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 Todaythat 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.
.png?w=600)
