Man admits he defaced church

The Commercial Appeal/September 30, 2000

An alleged recruiter for a white supremacist organization pleaded guilty to drawing swastikas and writing racial epithets on the doors of a black church.

Christopher David Kuykendall, 22, of Knoxville, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to conspiring to violate the civil rights of the congregation of New Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church on Aug. 28, 1999.

According to the indictment, Kuykendall "held himself out to be a skinhead and associated himself with the Confederate Hammerskin skinheads by serving as a recruiter for this organization."

But U.S. Asst. Atty. Jennifer Bolen said Kuykendall did not admit to all the allegations in the indictment.

He admitted only that he and an unidentified juvenile conspired to threaten and intimidate the church members, she said.

Kuykendall faces up to 10 years in prison as well as $250,000 in fines and will be sentenced at a later date, Bolen said.

He also must pay the church $100 in restitution to cover the costs of repairing the damage.