FERGUS FALLS - A Fergus Falls man faces a criminal charge for allegedly ripping down a Confederate flag at the county fair in Fergus Falls Saturday, police said.
It was the second reported appearance of the Confederate flag at a large event in Otter Tail County this month.
Juan Pablo Burrell, 27, was attending the West Otter Tail County Fair Saturday evening when he encountered a couple of Confederate flags flying from the back of a pickup truck, Fergus Falls police Sgt. Jeff Hohrman said.
Burrell “was offended by the flag, and when he pulled the flag out it actually ripped the seams, making it pretty much impossible to put it back in,” Hohrman said.
The owner of the truck and the $35 flag, Nathanael Benton of Wahpeton, reported the incident.
There was no altercation between Burrell and Benton, Hohrman said.
Police cited Burrell with criminal damage to property, a misdemeanor. His court date is Aug. 18.
Burrell could not be reached for comment. Benton did not immediately respond to a message left at his workplace seeking comment.
A Confederate flag was also flown during a Fourth of July parade in Erhard, upsetting some parade attendees in the Otter Tail County town.
The controversial flag was removed from the South Carolina State House this month, following the June 17 massacre of black churchgoers in Charleston, S.C. The alleged killer, a white man named Dylann Roof, was seen in photos posing with the Confederate flag.
