According to The Associated Press, three Cumberland County sheriff's deputies were suspended for five days without pay and demoted, and two others were suspended for three days without pay. All five deputies are on probation for a year, said Sheriff Earl "Moose" Butler.
The deputies are accused of failing to act as a white man sucker-punched a black protester at the March 9 rally, according to USA Today. The protester, Rakeem Jones, was initially taken into custody, but the alleged assailant, John McGraw, 78, was not. McGraw – who told "Inside Edition" he enjoyed "knocking out the hell out of [Jones'] big mouth" and "the next time we see him, we might have to kill him" – has been charged with assault and disorderly conduct in the incident.
"We regret that any of the circumstances at the Trump rally occurred, and we regret that we have had to investigate all of these matters," Butler said in a statement. "Yet, it is our duty and responsibility to do justice, and to carefully examine not only the actions of others, but our own actions to ensure that the law and our policies are justly and fairly enforced based in principle and without other influences."
>> Click here to read Butler's statement
We have disciplined five deputies following a professional standards investigation arising from the events at the Crown...
Posted by Sheriff Earl "Moose" Butler: Cumberland County NC on Wednesday, March 16, 2016
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