Iowa man sentenced to 16 years for setting LGBTQ flag on fire

Burn an alphabet flag - 16 years in prison.

Do this though:



No charges.

So he burned someone else's property and got charged with arson.

Why is this news?

Because teh gays!

Explain to me why burning the American flag is considered by some to be a valid statement of displeasure with someone or something while burning a LGBTQ2 flag is now considered a crime? And, what individual owns the LGBTQ2 flag anymore than what individual owns the American flag.

But, to be honest the only reason this idiot got sentenced to 16 big ones was because he was stupid enough to burn a LGBTQ2 flag in the current politically correct supercharged climate, while being a habitual offender.

A TV tuned to the news channel, a newspaper subscription and an internet connection so he could keep up with current events, combined with a little common sense on his part would have gone alongway in keeping him out of the rattle.

If you had a repeat offender record, stole my marijuana flag and burned it you'd be sentenced too. Probably for a couple months, we don't have these assinine three strike laws here.
Burning your own flag is another matter. You might get a punch in the face from a bystander or a ticket for no fire permit.

16 years for burning a flag? FFS that is beyond stupid.

16 years for burning a flag that an infinitesimally small segment of the population cares about - now that is most definitely PC madness.

I think the problem is twofold

1. This wasn't his first conviction
2. The law doesn't set different jail sentences for different objects, it say if you burn x the max you can get is y

Because he was a repeat offender, he got the max.

Because it wasn't his. Pretty simple. If I burn Bart's American flag, I'm committing a crime. If I buy a flag and burn it I'm not.

You can't possibly be that obtuse.

Yes it is. The same way that if a Klansman burned someone's cross, they'd get hit with an increased punishment.

16 years for burning a flag that an infinitesimally small segment of the population cares about - now that is most definitely PC madness.
The size of the population doesn't matter. What a completely ridiculous justification for letting a criminal off with a lesser sentence.

You're absolutely correct, I over looked that myself.

He was convicted of third degree arson - max 2 years
Third degree harassment - 30 days
Reckless use of fire or explosives - 1 year max

But because the person himself set fire to flag BECAUSE it was an LGBT flag, prosecutors added a hate crime enhancement. (The same way would happen if someone say they painted a swastika on that wall because it was a Synagogue).

Iowa law states:


So that turns it from Third degree arson, an aggravated misdemeanor to a class d felony. Which makes the max prison sentence 5 years. But because he has been convicted of two prior felonies in court, he gets sentenced as a habitual offender. Anyone being sentenced as a habitual offender gets a max of 15 years regardless of crime (unless, I assume, the crime carries a higher penalty).



So now it's Arson - 15 years
Harassment 30 days
Reckless use - 1 year

Good catch Llama

But lets not let the fact that the guy is an unrepentant remorseless offender stop people from defending him because of the scary gays.

Habitual offender = three-strike loser. And if he enjoys playing with fire then he deserves a long sentence before he ends up killing someone in an arson-gone-wrong.

Or the fact is questioning the law itself that allows such a ridiculously long sentence.
Gotta keep the jails full.