Justice is not taking it easy on 35-year-old Michael Wolfe after he was accused of a hate crime that involved defacing a Florida mosque with a slab of raw bacon.
Wolfe stands charged with breaking in to the Islamic Society of Central Florida Masjid Al-Munin Mosque in Titusville on New Year's Eve where police say he slashed at windows and various other items with a machete, then dropped raw bacon all over the floor near the front door before he left. It sounds like an even worse way to celebrate the new year than watching Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper, so no wonder he was all by himself (allegedly).
This is the part he probably didn't realize though: after further investigation the state attorney's office has officially labeled this a hate crime. That means that the penalty for Wolfe's charge, armed burglary, can now be boosted all the way up to life in prison. Of course, it will be up to the judge to decide if Wolfe deserves the maximum if he's convicted. For now, he's being held in jail where he's been denied bail.
Less than a month ago, President Barack Obamamade his first visit to a U.S. mosque during his presidency. During the visit to the Islamic Society of Baltimore, the president called for more tolerance of religious freedom and greater representation of Muslims in pop culture that aren't "related to national security." He also criticized the "Islamophobia" that he said some Republicans promote.
