A year ago a UPD officer found James Meredith’s statue draped in a pre-2003 Georgia state flag with a Confederate symbol and a noose around its neck. Now a former University of Mississippi student is scheduled to appear in court today to plead to one of the subsequent charges from the noose placement.
According to Associated Press, federal court filings show Graeme Phillip Harris, 20 of Alpharetta, Georgia, will plead guilty to using a threat of force to intimidate African-American students and employees at Ole Miss. He is facing up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
This March, a federal grand jury charged Harris with conspiracy to violate civil rights, a hefty charge that carries a maximum of a decade in prison, when he was indicted for placing the noose on the statue. Associated Press reports he may not face prosecution for that particular charge.
According to the Justice Department’s release, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s office of the Northern district of Mississippi are prosecuting this case.
Callie Daniels is a staff reporter for HottyToddy.com. She can be reached at callie.daniels@hottytoddy.com.
