Durham Sheriff’s Office seeks 3 more in toppling of Confederate statue

The Durham County Sheriff’s Office is seeking three more people for the toppling of a Confederate statue on Aug. 14, bringing the number of people charged to 11.

The Sheriff’s Office released to The Herald-Sun Monday three arrests warrants for Qasima Roshan Elise Wideman, 21, Jessica Nicole Jude, 28, and Joseph Baldoni Karlik, 26, on charges of felony inciting a riot with property damage in excess of $1,500, injury to personal property and injury to real property, both misdemeanors.

Takiyah Thompson, 22, Alexander Jun Cook, 24; Raul Mauro Arce Jimenez, 26, Elena Everett, 37, Aaron Caldwell, 24, Peter Gull Gilbert, 36, Dante Emmanuel Strobino, 35, and Ngoc Loan Tran, 24, have all been previously charged.

All of those who have been arrested have been released on a $10,000 unsecured bond.

The Aug. 14 protest left a statue of a Confederate soldier erected 93 years ago crumpled on the ground.

During an event in which anti-fascist and progressives groups expressed solidarity with Charlottesville, Virginia, and the struggle against white supremacy, activists pulled a Cadillac limousine carrying a ladder up to a sidewalk near the old Durham County courthouse on East Main Street, according to a search warrant.

They leaned the ladder against the back of the stone pedestal displaying the soldier holding a musket. Thompson climbed up and slipped a long yellow tow strap over the shoulder and neck of the soldier. A crowd pulled, and the soldier tumbled down, crumpling as it hit the ground. Protesters cheered and started kicking it.

A majority of Durham County commissioners have said they do not support replacing the statue, which was on county property. Some have questioned the felony charges and/or called for leniency for those arrested.

This story was originally published August 28, 2017 at 3:27 PM with the headline "Durham Sheriff’s Office seeks 3 more in toppling of Confederate statue."