Man accused of burning Pride flags yells 'Fighting for the children!' in courtroom
As 52-year-old Thomas Niehaus was being escorted out of the courtroom at the end of an arraignment in Hamilton County Municipal Court, he shouted, "Fighting for the children!"
Niehaus is charged with four felony counts of aggravated arson. Officials said he could face more charges after the investigation is complete, Cincinnati Fire Department officials announced July 31.
Judge Mike Peck set bonds totalling $400,000 and ordered Niehaus to stay away from the victims should he be released on bond.
After the outburst, Niehaus was brought back before the judge and began speaking before being interrupted by his attorney. Niehaus then apologized to the court.
Several Clifton and Northside residents had their properties set ablaze on July 30 in a specific targeting of flags, including flags known to be a symbol of pride for the LGBTQ+ community.
In the early hours of Wednesday, July 30, a home security camera recorded someone walking up to a home and setting a flag on fire.
It's not clear what flag was set on fire in the video, but it resembles the progress Pride flag, which includes the rainbow colors from the original Pride flag, as well as blue and pink arrows, representing the transgender community, and black and brown colors representing Black people and other people of color.
The man in the video can be seen wearing a necklace with a pendant that resembles a Russian Orthodox cross.
While being questioned by fire investigators, Niehaus admitted "to participating in an arson spree" and setting fire to flags attached to several homes, according to an arrest document.
Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor David Hickenlooper said the fires were set at four different homes and that the residents were "presented with a risk of serious physical harm by (Niehaus) setting their property on fire."
According to the FBI, a hate crime is a violent or property crime – murder, arson, assault, or vandalism – that is motivated at least in part by an offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender or gender identity. 46 states and the District of Columbia have hate crime laws, including Ohio.
However, hate crime laws in Ohio do not include sexual orientation or gender identity as a protected class. During the Aug. 1 hearing, prosecutors did not address whether prejudice was Niehaus' motivation.
"Mr. Niehaus recognizes the serious nature of the allegations," said Robert Jones, Niehaus' public defender. He said Niehaus is a lifelong Cincinnati resident with no prior criminal cases in Hamilton County.
The case is expected to be presented to a grand jury by Aug. 11. The grand jury will decide whether Niehaus is prosecuted in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, where felonies are tried.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Pride flag burnings: Man accused of arsons has outburst
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