{"id":21709,"date":"2016-03-25T12:07:46","date_gmt":"2016-03-25T19:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=21709"},"modified":"2016-03-25T12:19:59","modified_gmt":"2016-03-25T19:19:59","slug":"second-man-admits-trying-rope-around-james-meredith-statue-ole-miss-campus-intimidate-black-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=21709","title":{"rendered":"Second Man Admits to Trying Rope Around James Meredith Statue on Ole Miss Campus to Intimidate Black Students"},"content":{"rendered":"

MISSISSIPPI<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A second man plead guilty to a federal civil rights crime for tying a rope and Confederate flag around the neck of the James Meredith statue at the University of Mississippi, officials announced Thursday.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Austin-Reed-Edenfield-Former-Ole-Miss-Student-Pleads-Guilty-for-Noose-Incident-660x330
Austin Reed Edenfield<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Austin Reed Edenfield<\/strong>, of Kennesaw, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of using a threat of force to intimidate African-American students and employees because of their race or color.\u00a0 Edenfield was charged shortly before the plea.\u00a0 His sentencing date has not yet been set.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edenfield admitted that the purpose of the rope and flag was to threaten and intimidate black students, officials said.<\/span><\/p>\n

A second defendant, Graeme Phillip Harris<\/strong>, of Alpharetta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to the same charge in June 2015 and was sentenced to six months in prison.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that our universities and our workplaces are free from threats of racial violence,\u201d said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta.\u00a0 \u201cWe will hold accountable those who attempt to turn places of learning into places of intimidation and fear.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Graeme
Graeme Phillip Harris<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Edenfield and Harris acknowledged that they used the cover of darkness to tie the rope and an outdated version of the Georgia state flag \u2013 which prominently depicts the Confederate battle flag \u2013 around the neck of the statue in the early morning hours of Feb. 16, 2014.\u00a0 The statue honors Meredith\u2019s role as the University of Mississippi\u2019s first African-American student after its contentious 1962 integration.\u00a0 At the time of the incident, both men were students at the University of Mississippi.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edenfield admitted as part of his plea that he knew the appearance of the rope and flag would be threatening and intimidating to African-American students.<\/span><\/p>\n

U.S. District Judge Michael Mills in Oxford set sentencing for Edenfield July 21. He is facing \u00a0up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Prosecutors are recommending probation for Edenfield because\u00a0he helped the prosecution makes its case against Harris.<\/span><\/p>\n

The FBI investigated this case.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(September 2015 TV Channel 3 News Report)<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n