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A prominent figure in a Satanist organization and three additional individuals were taken into custody on Friday following an altercation within the Kansas Statehouse. The incident began when the leader reportedly attempted to perform a Black Mass in the rotunda.
Michael Stewart, the head of the Kansas City-area Satanic Grotto, was apprehended after a video captured him striking a counter-protester who aimed to seize his script.
Kansas Highway Patrol officers subdued and restrained Stewart while he shouted, “Hail, Satan!” He was subsequently released after posting a $1,000 bond for charges of disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly.
“There are more constructive ways to protest and express disagreements without insulting or denigrating sacred religious symbols,” Kelly said in an announcement about the event.
Pastor Jeremiah Hicks of The Cure Church in Kansas City, Kansas, warned against allowing the event.
“The Bible says Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy, so when we dedicate a state to Satan, we’re dedicating it to death,” he declared.

Catholics were among the Christians counter-protesting at a rally by the Satanic Grotto outside the Kansas Statehouse, Friday, in Topeka. (AP Photo/John Hanna)
Satanic Grotto followers argued the event was about free speech. Stewart’s wife, Maenad Bee, told reporters, “He’s only exercising his First Amendment rights.”
Two other followers of Stewart, Jocelyn Frazee, 32, and Sean Anderson, 50, were also arrested for unlawful assembly. Frazee had no bond set, and Anderson’s bond information was unavailable at the time of publication.
Marcus Schroeder, 21, a Christian counter-protester who tried to take Stewart’s script, was also arrested for disorderly conduct. His bond was set at $1,000.

Christians counter-protest at a rally outside the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka. (AP Photo/John Hanna)
Karla Delgado, who attended with her three young children, admitted she tried to stop Stewart’s Satanic ceremony.
“When we saw nobody stopping him, we tried to do it,” she said. In the chaos, her 4-year-old daughter was knocked down.
Stewart said his group scheduled the event thinking lawmakers would be in session. He hinted they may return.
“Maybe ‘un-baptisms,’ right here in the Capitol,” he said.
The Satanic Grotto did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.