PITTSBORO — A Pittsboro man and a Carrboro man have added their names to the list of individuals arrested for various offenses during protests and counter-protests around the “Our Confederate Heroes” monument in downtown Pittsboro.
The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office announced that Calvin Megginson, 29, of Pittsboro, and Timothy Osborn, 24, of Carrboro, were each charged with inciting a riot and affray in mid-afternoon Saturday on Sanford Road in Pittsboro.
A press release from the agency stated that “law enforcement officers were monitoring a peaceful protest” before “two subjects engaged in a physical altercation.”
“We respect every resident’s right to peacefully assemble in nonviolent protest or support of their beliefs,” said Chief Deputy Charles Gardner of the sheriff’s office. “However, unlawful or violent behavior will not be tolerated.”
The pair of arrests continued a string of criminal offenses during recent protests.
On October 5, Jessica Reavis, 40, of Danville, Virginia, was charged with illegally carrying a concealed gun and illegally carrying a concealed weapon. Thalia Considine, 30, of Durham, was charged with disorderly conduct, illegally carrying a concealed weapon and illegally carrying a weapon at a parade or demonstration. Richard Allen, 43, of Pittsboro, was charged with disorderly conduct. The week prior, Woody Weaver Jr., 64, of Fuquay-Varina, and Devin Ceartas, 52, of Chapel Hill, were both cited with simple affray.
Protests have been a regular feature on Saturdays in Pittsboro after the Chatham County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 to terminate the county’s agreement with the Winnie Davis Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy to locate the monument in the front lawn of the Chatham County Historic Courthouse. The monument was set to become designated a public trespass on Friday, but the UDC has received a temporary restraining order on the action, pending a determination on a preliminary injunction. The next court date on the case is set for November 8.
Commissioner Chairman Mike Dasher spoke to the News + Record last week prior to these new arrests about the presence of out-of-county protesters and the effect on downtown Pittsboro.
“I think that we did a pretty good job of keeping things local right until the time when they called in the Virginia Flaggers and ACTBAC [Alamance County Taking Back Alamance County] NC and League of the South and all these other folks to start raising flags,” Dasher said. “And sure enough, that brought in counter-protesters that I don’t recognize that are not local.
“I do my best to make sure that I’m spending my money in downtown Pittsboro. I know it’s been tough on business owners there and I’ve heard from them and respect that, but at the same time, I think at our last meeting, some of the public input made it very clear that the intent was to hold us hostage. They would take down their flags if we leave the monument alone. That’s just not how things work.”
The Sheriff’s Office stated again Saturday that it would continue to protect protester’s First Amendment rights as long as it was peaceful.
“The safety of the public remains our number one concern,” Capt. Chris Cooper said. “We encourage all members of the public to treat each other with respect and refrain from aggressive conduct toward one another.”
Reporter Zachary Horner contributed to this report.
Megginson
Megginson
Osborn
Osborn