Maplewood Man Charged In Toppling Confederate Statues: Report

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — A man from Maplewood has been charged with felony inciting to riot in connection with a riot in Raleigh, N.C. last June in which two Confederate statues were torn down, according to WRAL news in Raleigh.

Alan Francis Chorun, 53, of Maplewood is due in court on April 15 to answer the charge. In the riot at the State Capitol, a crowd pulled down two statues on a Confederate monument, the TV station reported.

Chorun was charged and released on a $25,000 bond, the station reported. A website cites an arrest date of Feb. 24.

According to the WRAL story, "A crowd threw straps around each statue during a June 19 riot and pulled them down. Both statues were then dragged down nearby streets and eventually tied to light fixtures and pulled up to mimic hangings ... Chorun's arrest warrant states the crowd caused more than $100,000 in damage."

There had been peaceful protests earlier that day to celebrate Juneteenth, the holiday celebrating the freeing of the slaves two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. READ MORE: What Is Juneteenth?

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