Regardless of the chosen sentence, 6 years, 15 years, or anything in between seems a bit much for burning a flag. – The man was sentenced to 16 years prison. – A man from Iowa took it down and set it on fire. – A church was displaying the pride flag. RELATED: Liberals are Hypocrites for Attacking Trump’s Flag Burning Ban The hate crime and arson charges combined could have resulted in a maximum of just over 6 years, but the habitual offender issue allowed for a longer sentence to be doled out. The County Attorney added the hate crimes charge because of what the rainbow-colored flag “represents as far as sexual orientation.” Martinez was found “guilty of third-degree arson in violation of individual rights - hate crime, third-degree harassment, and reckless use of fire as a habitual offender.” An Iowa man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison after setting a local church’s LGBTQ flag on fire this past June.ģ0-year-old Adolfo Martinez, according to the Des Moines Register, was arrested after stealing a pride banner and later burning it outside a strip club.
