Trump fan who set fire to hay bales with Biden-Harris 2020 campaign display is sentenced to 1-year in jail

A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty to one count of burning personal property this Thursday after setting fire to a hay bale that displayed a Biden-Harris campaign endorsement last year, The Berkshire Eagle reports.

Trump supporter, Lonnie Durfee, 50, was sentenced to one year in jail, which was the maximum penalty for the charge.

Judge Paul Smyth offered Durfee the sentence last month, which prompted Durfee to withdraw his guilty plea. Defense lawyer Robert Sullivan had requested no additional time in jail.

"He thought the right thing to do would be to accept responsibility, accept the court's recommendation and try to move on and use his time in jail, whether it's through different programs the jail offers, to try to improve himself so when he's restored to the community, he can be a law-abiding citizen," Defense lawyer Robert Sullivan said.

In a statement, District Attorney Andrea Harrington said that the use of fire "has a deeply rooted association with political and civil rights intimidation."

"This fire victimized not only the property owners but represented a threat to entire communities," he said. "This sentence sends a message that our community will not accept those types of actions and that civility and respect will prevail."

On Oct. 9, 2020, Durfee set fire to a newly erected hay bale displaying the Democratic Party candidates' names.