Richmond man gets community service, suspended jail sentence for defacing Confederate monument
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A man must perform 100 hours of community service after pleading guilty to defacing a Confederate monument in Richmond, Virginia.
Media outlets report that 39-year-old Joseph Weindl of Richmond pleaded guilty Thursday to defacing a public monument. A Richmond General District Court judge suspended a 90-day jail sentence and ordered community service. Weindl also must pay $200 in restitution.
Police say Weindl spray-painted an "L'' on the base of a monument honoring Confederate President Jefferson Davis on June 28.
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Weindl's attorney, Daniel Watkins, said earlier this week that his client regrets the action.
Confederate symbols have been the focus of debate since the June 17 massacre at an African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina. Authorities say the accused gunman had posed in photographs with the Confederate battle flag.