LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Two men are "extremely sorry" for hanging an effigy of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on the University of Kentucky campus, their attorney said Friday, but he said charges related to their "ill-conceived prank" were excessive.
UK student Joe Fischer, 22, and Hunter Bush, 21, pleaded not guilty to charges of disorderly conduct, burglary and theft the day after their arrest.
Their attorney, Fred Peters, told The Associated Press in an e-mail that "this incident was an ill-conceived political prank."
"The two young men are extremely sorry for what they did and the embarrassment they have caused everyone," Peters said. "The charges are very extreme for what they did and we will deal with them in the courts."
The life-size effigy was found Wednesday, hanging from a tree with a noose around its neck.
A judge set a preliminary hearing for Dec. 1. Both men were still in the Fayette County Detention Center on Friday.