Oregon man pleads no contest in hate-message case

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – An Oregon neo-Nazi has pleaded no contest to a charge stemming from his decision to counter an anti-hate rally by installing a large speaker on his house’s roof and repeatedly playing a pro-hate message.

Jimmy Marr, 63, of Springfield entered the plea at his initial court appearance, The Register-Guard reported.

He reached a deal with prosecutors shortly before Wednesday’s hearing, allowing him to get the charge of disorderly conduct dismissed if he doesn’t break any laws for six months.

“Anytime you can get a diversion agreement . that’s about as good as it gets, short of a dismissal,” said Marr’s attorney, Mike Arnold.

Marr was arrested Sept. 29 as a community group held an anti-hate rally in a park near his home.

Police said Marr began to blast a pro-hate message that could be heard for several blocks.

Marr agreed to Arnold’s offer of free, legal assistance after the lawyer said he believed that Marr had been charged based on the content of the recording.

Arnold also said he believed police improperly went onto Marr’s roof without a search warrant.

But a fight over free speech and illegal searches never materialized. Springfield city prosecutor Matt Cox said the charge was based on the volume at which the message was played – not the content.

Marr said after his court appearance he had “inadvertently made it too loud” when he broadcast the recording of Finnish white nationalist Kai Murros speaking about hate.

Marr paid about $400 in court fines and fees in the misdemeanor case.

Marr has attracted attention for years as a white supremacist and Holocaust denier.

He arrived at the courthouse in a pickup emblazoned with a swastika and anti-Semitic messages.