Police Arrest 2 for 'Racist Actions' on UNC Campus

Two individuals have been arrested in connection with “racist actions” carried out on the UNC campus last week.

UNC Police said in an update late Monday afternoon that 50-year-old Nancy Rushton McCorkle, of Newberry, South Carolina, and 31-year-old Ryan Francis Barrett, of Sanford, were arrested on Monday morning.

McCorkle was charged with vandalism and ethnic intimidation. Barrett is facing two counts of vandalism, along with one count each of ethnic intimidation and public urination.

Interim UNC chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said in the university’s initial response that one of the individuals seen on security tape was known to be affiliated with the group Heirs to the Confederacy.

UNC Police said in an update last week that suspects used “permanent marker and urine” to vandalize the Unsung Founders Memorial on McCorkle Place. An outdoor art installment near the Hanes Art Center was also written on with marker, according to the reports.

Guskiewicz told the media at last week’s Board of Trustees meeting that it was important to be upfront with the campus community when actions like these are carried out on the campus.

“We need to be as transparent as possible and to make it very clear that this is unacceptable when this happens,” he said. “And we’re not going to tolerate these sorts of activities.”

The two were also issued a criminal summons after a UNC System flag was stolen from UNC System offices on Raleigh Road and a Confederate flag was raised in its place around the same time as the vandalism on the campus.

Monday’s arrests come after another individual linked to the same Heirs to the Confederacy group carried a gun onto the UNC campus in mid-March, which is illegal. The man was asked to leave campus and complied, but he was not arrested, which drew criticism from some across the campus. That incident is under review.

“UNC Police continue to monitor any threats to the campus,” officials said in Monday’s update.

Photos via UNC Police

2 Arrests Made After ‘Racist Actions’ on UNC Campus

On Air Now: 97.9 FM