A former University of Mississippi student who pleaded guilty to helping hang a noose around the neck of the James Meredith statue on campus was sentenced Thursday to six months in prison.
U.S. District Court Judge Michael P. Mills sentenced Graeme Phillip Harris to six months in prison and one year supervised release for helping place a rope around the neck of the statue of Ole Miss’ first black student, according to a news release from the Justice Department.
The noose was found around the neck of the Meredith statue in February 2014. An outdated Georgia state flag containing the Confederate “stars and bars” was also draped on the statue’s shoulders.
Harris was slapped with federal civil rights charges in connection with the vandalism more than a year later. His attorneys said it was “patently untrue” that Harris helped hang the noose on the statue and pointed out that another, unidentified student who they said admitted to the vandalism was not indicted. Nevertheless, Harris struck a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to a charge of threatening force to intimidate black students and employees at the university.
The DOJ release noted the investigation was ongoing.
Maybe Kim Davis will pay him a conjugal visit…
Wait a minute. He pleads guilty and his lawyers say it is patently untrue that he did it. Somebody does not understand the law. Or logic.
Actually, innocent people accept plea bargains and plead guilty all the time.
Not contending this guy is one of them, but every lawyer knows that and understands both the logic (jury trials are unpredictable and if you try it, you’ll get the maximum) and the law (once a jury rules, it’s findings of fact are presumed correct and even evidence of actual innocence can be insufficient to get relief from a judgment.)
But Steve, this is not a nolo plea. It is “I am guilty”.
damn…i’m impressed. looking forward to the denunciations of loretta lynch and the doj targeting this man who was only expressing his first amendment rights…/s