Durham Confederate statue protester agrees to restitution, community service
DURHAM (WTVD) -- The 11 defendants facing charges after the removal of a Confederate statue entered the Durham County Justice Center Tuesday morning.
A press statement released before their scheduled appearance said they would enter pleas as their supporters continue to push for dismissal of those charges.
But now, one defendant has agreed to pay restitution and perform community service while the others have their cases moved to early 2018.
Loan Tran's attorney Scott Holmes told ABC11 that Tran's deferred prosecution agreement calls for payment of $1,250, court costs, and community service.
Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App
When those conditions are met, misdemeanor charges filed against Tran after participating in the events that led to the toppling of that statue in August will be dismissed.
When we asked another defendant, Takiyah Thompson, if she was interested in a similar arrangement she replied, "No, I'm interested in going to trial because I'm not guilty of the charges that are being presented. We feel that all the defendants are not guilty of the charges that are being presented, and we want to go to trial."
Thompson also said the action she took on the day the statue came down was not a crime.
"Because it was the will of the people, and politicians in this city and the state have put in preemptive (preemption) laws to thwart the will of the people and that itself is a crime," said Thompson.
She and most of the remaining defendants are scheduled to return to court in January 2018.
Two men charged in connection with a demonstration that organizers called to action to block a rumored Klan march in Durham are scheduled to return to court in February 2018.
