Durham Confederate statue topplers to face only misdemeanor charges

DURHAM, NC -- A North Carolina district attorney says he plans to drop felony charges against eight protesters accused of toppling a Confederate statue last year.

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The Durham County district attorney said in an email Thursday that his office plans to try the defendants only on misdemeanor charges and that the felony charges would be dismissed.

A judge set a February 19 trial date for the defendants during a court appearance earlier in the morning. The protesters were charged with a felony rioting count and misdemeanor property damage charges.

The statue of an anonymous rebel in front of a Durham government building was brought down Aug. 14 in the aftermath of a deadly white nationalist protest in Virginia. One Durham protester climbed a ladder to attach a rope while others pulled it down.