Multiple groups of white nationalists march with torches through the University of Virginia campus on August 11, 2017, in Charlottesville, Va.
Mykal McEldowney/AP
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Mykal McEldowney/AP
Multiple groups of white nationalists march with torches through the University of Virginia campus on August 11, 2017, in Charlottesville, Va.
Mykal McEldowney/AP
RICHMOND, Va. Nearly six years after a large group of white nationalists gathered in Charlottesville erupted into violent clashes with protesters, a grand jury in Virginia indicted many people on charges of murder. felony for carrying flaming torches with threatening intent.
The Albemarle County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office said in a press release that the indictments relate to an event on August 11, 2017. That was when a group of white people turned to democracy. Torchbearers marched through the University of Virginia campus, some chanting, “The Jews will not replace us.”
Commonwealth attorney James Hingeley did not say in the statement how many people have been indicted and did not immediately respond to a call and email requesting comment on Tuesday. According to electronic court records, the indictment against three people has not been sealed, including William Zachary Smith, of Nacona, Texas; Tyler Bradley Dykes, of Bluffton, South Carolina; and Dallas Medina, in Ravenna, Ohio.
Each was charged with burning an object with the intent to intimidate a person or group of people. The crime carries a maximum penalty of up to 5 years in prison.
Smith’s attorney, Cody Villalon, declined to comment when contacted by phone Tuesday. Dykes and Medina do not have the names of any attorneys listed in the electronic court records.
The indictments, which were issued in February but only recently sealed, come nearly six years after violence erupted during two days of mass protests by white nationalists. most in a decade.
The clashes began on the night of August 11, 2017, during the torch parade and continued the next day, when a “Unity Rights” rally was planned. James Alex Fields Jr., a white supremacist from Maumee, Ohio, rammed his car into a crowd of protesters, killing one woman and injuring dozens. Fields is serving a life sentence for murder and hate crimes.
Prosecutors said the charges were issued “as part of an ongoing and ongoing criminal investigation,” adding that they work with law enforcement to investigate, analyze applicable laws and make allegations “where appropriate.”
“This is our process no matter how much time has passed or where the alleged offenders can be found,” they said.
Former President Donald Trump sparked a storm of criticism when he said there were “very good people on both sides” in the clashes between white nationalists and anti-separation protesters. racism in Charlottesville.
