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A man was arrested for trespassing after he drove three hours from Atlanta to South Carolina to pull down a Confederate flag flying over an interstate.
James Blitch, 22, was taken into custody on Saturday night when officers were called to a report of a trespasser on land belonging to the organisation Sons of Confederate Veterans in Spartanburg, according to Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies arrived on the scene at around 10.30pm local time where a witness said they had seen Blitch climb up a fence near mile marker 76 of the I-85.
The 22-year-old allegedly told deputies he was trying to lower the Confederate flag because he doesn’t agree with it.
He was in possession of a Dremel and drill bits at the time.
Johnathon McGill with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office told WYFF NBC that there were clear “no trespassing” signs on the fence.
Blitch was arrested for trespassing and was booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Center. He was released the following day.
McGill said it was the second time in two days where someone had tried to get onto the property over the flag.
“Regardless of who you are, your beliefs, or your standpoint, the sheriff’s office has sworn an oath to uphold the law and uphold the constitution, and everybody is extended that right and equal protection under the law,” he said.
Spartanburg County council officials previously tried to get the flagpole removed in 2022, saying it was a violation of the county’s land use ordinances.
But, in 2023, the Board of Zoning Appeals voted in favor of the property owner, allowing them to keep the Confederate flag and pole raised.
