15 Charged with Terroristic Threats in Confederate Flag Incident

Members of a Georgia group known as “Respect the Flag” have been indicted in connection to a July altercation between a convoy of trucks flying Confederate battle flags and a group of African Americans at a child’s birthday party.

In a brief statement released Monday Douglas County District Attorney Brian Fortner said indictments were handed down Friday by a Douglas County Grand Jury against members of the group for violations of the state’s Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act and for making terroristic threats. Fortner declined to reveal facts of the case, saying it’s now in the hands of the courts. (See Fortner’s entire statement at the end of this article.)

Named in the three-count indictment were apparent “Respect the Flag” members Robert Andrew Hansard, John Anthony Allen, Lacey Paul Henderson, Joe Eric Hood, Levi Devin Bush, Ashley Elizabeth Butler, Alexis Odell Fennell, Lacey Paul Henderson II, Jose Ismael Torres, Amanda Sue Dyson, Jeffery Chad Wigley, Gregory Adam Upchurch, Scott Chapman, Thomas Charles Summers and Judy King Summers.

The indictment charges all were participating in criminal street gang activity on July 25 and made terroristic threats by threatening “to commit a crime of violence to persons attending a party at 9037 Campbellton Street with the purpose of terrorizing those individuals and in reckless disregard for the risk of causing such terror.”

Hood and Thomas Summers also were indicted for battery, according to the indictment.

• RELATED: Police Continue Investigation Into Confederate Flag Altercation

The charges come after an investigation of the incident on Campbellton Street by the Douglasville Police and the DA’s office. The incident, from which cell phone video was widely shared on social media, happened during the afternoon on July 25.

According to police at the time of the incident, officers responded to a 911 call around 3:30 p.m. concerning a group of trucks flying rebel flags traveling southbound on Hwy 92 from Paulding County entering Douglas County.

Officers followed the convoy for a distance and did not see any criminal or traffic violations, but shortly afterward were notified there was a heated argument between two groups of people, including those with the convoy.

Party-goers reported members of the flag-flyers yelled racial slurs and threatened them. The party host told the AJC the trucks drove past several times before parking in a grassy area near the home.

Convoy riders said somebody at the party threw rocks at the trucks, forcing one to fish-tale and pop a tire. They said the convoy then pulled off the road near the party residence when the confrontation escalated.

“When officers arrived, they found those in the convoy in an argument with those who were having a birthday party at a residence on Chapel Hill Rd.,” Douglasville PD said in a statement after the incident. “Officers on scene were given conflicting statements as to what led up to the confrontation. Officers identified all involved and arrested one person that was a passenger in the convoy of trucks on unrelated charges.”

Douglas County District Attorney Brian Fortner statement on ”Respect the Flag” indictments:

“On Saturday, July 25, 2015, an incident occurred on Campbellton Street here in Douglas County. That incident involved individuals associated with a group known as “Respect the Flag” who were driving around the community in vehicles displaying the Confederate flag. Those individuals stopped near a residence on Campbellton Street, where a group of local citizens were having a birthday party, and a confrontation ensued. That incident was the topic of extensive media coverage when it occurred. Since that time, the Douglasville Police Department and the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office have been conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding that incident. On Friday, October 9, 2015, a Douglas County Grand Jury handed down an Indictment charging members of the group known as “Respect the Flag” with violations of Georgia’s Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act and Terroristic Threats. Two members of that group were also charged with Battery for an incident that occurred that same day at a gas station in an area of Douglas County known as the Corn Crib. The cases resulting from the Indictment will be handled in the Douglas County Superior Court. There is no further comment at this time.”

Confederate Flag Case Indictment