Statue Vandal To Plead Thursday

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) – A former student is scheduled to appear in court Thursday to plead guilty to a charge related to a noose left on a statue marking the University of Mississippi’s integration.

Federal court filings show Graeme Phillip Harris will plead guilty to using a threat of force to intimidate African-American students and employees at Ole Miss.

Harris, of Alpharetta, Georgia, faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine. He likely won’t be prosecuted for a second charge in his March indictment – conspiracy to violate civil rights – which carries up to 10 years in prison.

His lawyer, David Hill, denies that Harris himself put the noose on the statue of James Meredith in 2014. The violent reaction to Meredith’s 1962 admission was quelled by federal troops.