Bree Newsome, 30, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was about halfway up the more than 30-foot steel flagpole just after dawn Saturday when officers of the South Carolina Bureau of Protective Services ran to the flagpole and told her to get down. Instead, she continued climbing to the top and removed the flag.
She and a man who had climbed over a four-foot wrought-iron fence to get to the flag were arrested. Officer L. Tucker of the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center said Newsome and 30-year-old James Ian Tyson, also of Charlotte, were released from jail Saturday after posting bond.
The flag, which is protected by state law, was raised about 45 minutes later, well ahead of a rally later Saturday by supporters of keeping the flag where it is.
Sherri Iacobelli, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Safety, said Newsome and Tyson have been charged with defacing monuments on state Capitol grounds. That’s a misdemeanor that carries a fine of up to $5,000 and a prison term of up to three years or both.