Former KKK Leader Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Alabama Cross Burning
A former leader of the聽International Keystone Knights of the Ku Klux Klan聽will serve two years in prison for in 2009 in Ozark, Ala., to 鈥渟care and intimidate residents of the African-American community by threatening the use of force against them.鈥�
Steven Joshua Dinkle, 28,聽the聽former exalted cyclops of the Ozark chapter of聽the Keystone聽Knights, also will be on three years of 鈥渟upervised release鈥� after he gets out of prison under the sentence handed down聽Thursday聽by Chief U.S. District Judge W. Keith Watkins.
At the sentencing hearing, the judge 聽the purpose of Dinkle鈥檚 conduct聽clearly聽was 鈥渢o terrorize people in the community鈥� and that his 鈥渕essage was one of intimidation and violence.鈥�
Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels聽of the Justice聽Department鈥檚聽Civil聽Rights Division聽 Dinkle 鈥渃hose to burn the cross at the very entrance to an African-American neighborhood so that anyone coming or聽going would see the fiery cross.聽He intended to intimidate the community鈥檚 residents in their own homes and neighborhood. There is no place for such conduct in our society and the department will continue to prosecute these violent acts of hate.鈥�
U.S. Attorney George L. Beck, Jr., of the聽Middle District of Alabama, echoed those comments.聽鈥淚t is sad that, in this day and age, people are still filled with such hate,鈥澛燘eck聽.聽鈥淭o act on such hate and burn a cross turns that hate into a crime which should not, and will not, be tolerated. Prosecuting these type crimes will continue to be a priority of my office.鈥�
顿颈苍办濒别听聽Feb. 3 to one count of conspiracy to violate housing rights, one count of criminal interference with the right to fair housing, and two counts of obstruction of justice related to false statements he gave investigators.
He was arrested by FBI agents last November in Mississippi, four days after his mother, Pamela Morris, 45, the former secretary of the same KKK chapter in Ozark, was arrested. 聽Dinkle admitted lying to FBI agents about his role in the cross burning. 聽His mother聽is scheduled to stand trial Aug. 4 on two counts of perjury arising out of the investigation into the cross burning.
Court documents say Dinkle and KKK-recruit Thomas Windell Smith, whose age wasn鈥檛 provided by authorities, met at Dinkle鈥檚 home in Ozark on May 8, 2009, and decided to burn a cross in a nearby African-American neighborhood.
Dinkle wrapped a 6-foot wooden cross with jeans and a towel聽before driving with Smith in his聽truck to a nearby black community.聽The pair dug a hole, doused the cross with聽fuel聽and fled in Smith鈥檚 truck.
Smith pleaded guilty last December to one count of conspiracy to violate housing rights and faces sentencing Aug. 19, 2014.
