Ohio man in cross-burning case gets 30 days

COLUMBUS (AP) — An Ohio man who pleaded guilty in the case of a cross burned in the yard of a black family has been sentenced to 30 days in jail.

A federal complaint alleged Brandon Rhodes and a juvenile co-conspirator burned the cross in the family’s yard in Morrow County in March 2011. The suspects are white.

Attorneys for the 21-year-old Rhodes have said their client regrets the incident, which happened after a night of drinking during which he’d consumed about 10 beers.

The sentenced handed down today by U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Frost also included two years of probation and 50 hours of community service.

Messages left for Rhodes’ attorneys were not immediately returned today.