Couple Charged with Felony for Allegedly Running Boys on Bikes with Trump Flags off the Road
A young couple is facing felony charges after a July incident in which they allegedly ran twin brothers who had Trump flags on their bikes off the road.
Kyren Gregory Perry-Jones, 23, and Cailyn Marie Smith, 18, each face felony charges that include two counts of intimidation and two counts of criminal recklessness, along with single misdemeanor charges of theft and criminal mischief.
According to The Associated Press, videos posted to the social media app Snapchat of the July 22 incident provided evidence needed to file the charges.
“The two boys told Hobart detectives they were riding their bikes near 8th and Fleming when a blue Chevrolet Malibu began following them, court records state,” The Northwest Indiana Times reported.
Police in Hobart, Indiana, say Perry-Jones confronted the boys, asking one of them if he was a Trump supporter, prompting the boy to reply that he was.
That reportedly made the man angry.
“Snapchat video obtained by police shows the Malibu, driven by Perry-Jones, swerve the wheels sharply ‘as if he saw the boys and wanted to hit them with the vehicle’ while yelling, ‘Y’all better get home,’ court records state,” according to The Times.
Video also reportedly shows the couple yelling expletives at the boys and threatening them for dialing 911.
One of the videos shows Perry-Jones saying he would claim the teenagers used a racial slur if he was questioned about the incident, The Times reported.
“The driver followed the boys before exiting the car and tearing off the flag from one of the brother’s bikes,” according to the AP, which cited the arrest affidavit.
“The driver dropped the flag, which was affixed to the bike with fishing pole, ran back to his car and drove off, ‘but not before running the flag over,’ it states.”
It reportedly took about three months for Snapchat to provide the videos to police after the company was served with a search warrant.
According to the AP, Smith was in custody Friday night, while Perry-Jones was still at large.
Violent rhetoric — and actions — against Republicans has not been uncommon ever since Donald Trump announced his campaign for president.
Earlier this month, a Democratic candidate for the nomination to challenge Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins offered guillotine-themed merchandise to those who campaigned for her.
Also this month, volunteers registering voters for the Duval County GOP in a Walmart parking lot were nearly run down by a van driven by a man who later told police “someone had to take a stand” against Trump.
And in New Hampshire, police say a teenager wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat was slapped by a person who also attacked two other people who had tried to intervene.
Windham, NH, police arrest 34-year-old Patrick Bradley for #FITN primary day assault of a Trump-supporting teenager #nhpolitics pic.twitter.com/UmAWugmHzX
— Adam Sexton (@AdamSextonWMUR) February 13, 2020
In Arizona, meanwhile, members of a Students for Trump chapter were confronted by an individual who shouted that Republicans’ throats should be slashed.
And at the University of California at Santa Cruz, College Republicans were attacked and their display was vandalized, RedState reported.
According to Breitbart News, there have been nearly 400 instances of politically motivated crimes against Trump supporters since September 2015.
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