Man accused of burning LGBTQ books loses motion to dismiss

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – A magistrate has refused to dismiss a criminal mischief charge against an Iowa religious activist accused of burning four LGBTQ children’s books that he checked out of a library.

Prosecutors say 63-year-old Paul Dorr posted a video on Facebook in October in which he denounced the Orange City library for having the books and threw them into a burning barrel.

He argued in his motion for dismissal that he was singled out for prosecution because of the message he was sending.

Sioux County District Court records show that Magistrate Lisa Mazurek said in her ruling issued Monday that Dorr didn’t prove his assertions and that the only message being sent to him is “that he cannot burn books that do not belong to him.”

His trial’s set for Aug. 6.

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Information from: Sioux City Journal, http://www.siouxcityjournal.com