Man arrested while trying to take down Confederate flag along I-85, deputies say

FILE – Large Confederate flag flies along I-85 in Spartanburg County, SC, in October 2022 (WSPA FILE photo)

SPARTANBURG COUNTY, SC (WSPA) – A Georgia man was arrested Saturday night after allegedly attempting to take down a large Confederate flag along Interstate 85.

According to a report from the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, officers were called to the property on Teaberry Road because of a report of an intruder.

The report states that 23-year-old James Daniel Blitch of Atlanta admitted to the deputy that he did not agree with the Confederate flag and wanted to take it down.

There were signs reading “No Trespassing” at the spot where Blitch climbed a tree to get over the fence, the report said.

Blitch told the deputy that he had traveled from Atlanta to retrieve the flag and planned to return to Atlanta.

The officer found Blitch with a Dremel and drills, the report said.

Blitch was arrested and charged with trespassing. He is being held at the Spartanburg County Detention Center on $465 bail.

The Confederate flag flies there on a 120-foot-high pole, which has been the subject of controversy.

Spartanburg County issued a violation notice in October 2022 stating that the property on which the flagpole is located lacks a “primary use” and that the property owner must either obtain a permit or remove the pole.

The county’s land use planning appeals committee later ruled in favor of the property owner and lifted the violation in January 2023.

A district judge later overturned the panel’s decision in February 2024, ruling that the original notice of violation was accurate.

An appeal against this ruling is still pending, according to court records.