Alamance County's Notorious Sheriff Hurt His Shin, and He Wants an Anti-Confederate Protester from

Alamance County’s Notorious Sheriff Hurt His Shin, and He Wants an Anti-Confederate Protester from Durham to Pay for It

Can a protester charged with assaulting a popular sheriff get a fair trial on the lawman's home turf? That question is being raised by a court case in Alamance County, where Sheriff Terry Johnson says he was assaulted by a Durham man counterprotesting a Confederate Memorial Day rally in Graham earlier this year.

An attorney representing Durham activist Rann Bar-On is seeking a change of venue, arguing that an Alamance jury would be biased toward the county's elected sheriff and that Johnson and District Attorney Pat Nadolski have too close of a relationship for Nadolski's office to fairly prosecute the case.

Further, Scott Holmes, a Durham civil rights attorney, questions the sheriff's credibility as the main witness, citing a now-dismissed Department of Justice lawsuit alleging racial discrimination at the Alamance County Sheriff's Office and photographs that show Johnson with people Holmes describes as "members of far-right and racist groups" who participated in the May 20 rally.

"If it turns out there is a relationship or a good relationship there, that may be some evidence—if we get more support for that—that he would be biased against the counterprotesters for which he brought charges," Holmes says.

Read more: https://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/alamance-countys-notorious-sheriff-hurt-his-shin-and-he-wants-an-anti-confederate-protester-from-durham-to-pay-for-it/Content?oid=9664477