An Iowa man this week was sentenced to 16 years in prison for stealing an LGBT flag from a local Christian church and burning it outside of a nearby strip club.

Adolfo Martinez, 30, stole the flag in June from Ames United Church of Christ and later burned it outside of a local "gentleman's club." Martinez openly admitted to police that he had committed the crime.

Martinez's lengthy sentence stemmed from the state's successful prosecution of a "hate crime." The prosecution believed that Martinez had burned the flag due to its LGBT connotations.

On the church's Facebook page yesterday, senior minister Eileen Gebbie wrote that the congregation had sought to pay the criminal's court fees and that the church is currently exploring the possibility of supporting his children and their mother during his incarceration.