A protester and supporter of President Donald Trump threw feces at The Red Hen restaurant in Virginia on Tuesday, shouting “Make America Great Again” as he did so, according to the Lexington Police Department.
After speaking with the Lexington PD, Law&Crime learned that the suspect is one Reginald Scott See. He has been charged with disorderly conduct and littering. The department is not issuing a statement on the arrest.
Per the local ABC News affiliate, See was arrested after allegedly throwing the excrement, which was described by witnesses on the scene as “chicken shit.” The Lexington Fire Department was then tasked with cleaning up the mess left after the suspect was taken into custody.
Small groups of protesters have been gathering at The Red Hen since news broke that White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee-Sanders was asked to leave the restaurant over the weekend.
The restaurant’s owner, Stephanie Wilkinson, requested that Sanders and her party depart before being served dinner due to the press secretary’s ongoing role defending the Trump administration’s zero tolerance border policy which has controversially led to the caging of children and separation of families.
Wilkinson did not violate any laws and said she would do it again if given the chance, but her action has galvanized Trump supporters to act out against the restaurant in various ways. Many such individuals have been leaving one-star reviews on Yelp, possibly opening themselves up to eventual defamation lawsuits.
Others have been leaving fake reservations and vandalizing unaffiliated Red Hen restaurants across the country. Online, in pro-Trump groups, it’s easy to find highly-favorited posts showing The Red Hen in flames. Still other Trump supporters have been spreading fake health inspection certificates. All obvious attempts to damage Wilkinson’s business in retribution for denying Sanders and her party a meal.
Other protesters were more peaceful and held signs that read, “Red Hen needs to learn love and tolerance,” “Trump = Love,” “Homos are full of demons,” and an acrostic which turned the abbreviation LGBT into “Let God Burn Them,” while citing a biblical passage widely interpreted to be against homosexuality.
Most of the protesters had left by around 7:00 p.m. and See was the only person arrested.
[image via screengrab/NBC News 10 Lexington]
Follow Colin Kalmbacher on Twitter: @colinkalmbacher
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