Charges dropped in flag-desecration case
“All charges in the case of activists Mark and Deborah Kuhn, arrested on July 25 in an incident involving alleged flag desecration are being dropped, Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan announced this afternoon. An internal investigation of the arrests is continuing. (For the complete background, see the article “Flag Fight.”)”
What’s the background of this “Flag Flight”?
Flag fight
“The July 25 arrest of a West Asheville couple for desecrating the flag has sparked a storm of controversy, including doubts about the constitutionality of the rarely enforced state statute. The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the handling of the matter, and Sheriff Van Duncan has expressed regrets about the incident, telling Mountain Xpress that “we would normally not have handled the situation that way.”
Local activists Mark and Deborah Kuhn say a Buncombe County sheriff’s deputy invaded their home and used excessive force in responding to a complaint that the couple was desecrating an American flag. The flag, which they’d hung upside down on their porch as a protest, had several statements pinned to it, including a photo of President Bush with the words “Out Now” on it and an explanation that the upside-down flag is a traditional distress signal.”
(snip)
“This is only the third time anyone has been charged under the state’s 1917 flag-desecration law, according to Dick Ellis, public information officer for the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts.”
So what happened after the internal investigation? Do we get to find out what went on behind the scenes and why a rarely enforced law from 1917 was used to arrest this couple? No.
Sheriff Duncan: Law prevents release of investigation, disciplinary action in flag incident
“State public-records law prevents the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office from releasing information about the results of an internal investigation into the July 25 arrests of two activists on since-dropped flag-desecration charges – or any disciplinary action taken, Sheriff Van Duncan said this afternoon.”
(snip)
“Duncan added that the department has taken corrective action “to make sure that an incident like this never happens again.”’
Posted by Vixen as Musings at 11:27 PM CDT