EXCLUSIVE – A North Carolina high school student said she was accused of vandalism by her school and told she was being investigated by law enforcement after she painted her school’s “spirit rock” with a religious and patriotic tribute to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

According to a new complaint filed Monday and shared first with Fox News Digital, Gabby Stout, a junior at Ardrey Kell High School, called her school’s front office on September 12 to ask if she could paint the school spirit rock with a patriotic message honoring Kirk, who was killed two days prior. Stout was told she could do so as long as the message didn’t contain vulgarity or political speech. 

The complaint states that she and two friends proceeded to paint a heart and an American flag with the message “Freedom 1776,” and a tribute to Charlie Kirk: “Live Like Kirk—John 11:25” on September 13. The students also painted their first names on the rock.

Within hours, school officials painted over the rock, according to the complaint. On September 14, the principal sent out a school-wide message saying that the spirit rock had been painted with a message that was not authorized. The message called it an act of vandalism and a violation of the student code of conduct, saying that law enforcement had been contacted, and an investigation was underway.

RI SCHOOL WANTS TO CHARGE MOM $117K TO SEE CURRICULUM FROM TEACHER WHO CALLED CHARLIE KIRK ‘PIECE OF GARBAGE’

“I was completely shocked,” Stout told Fox News Digital. “I was very intimidated and scared as I had no idea what I did wrong or that I could be getting in trouble for simply sharing and expressing my views and beliefs.”

Stout sent a message the same day to school officials acknowledging she had painted the rock but had been given permission by the front office.

The next school day, she was repeatedly pulled out of class and sent to the principal’s office, where she was questioned and instructed to write a statement about what she had done and then forced to revise it after she forgot to include the Bible verse in her emotional state. She was also told to give up her cell phone to be searched, all without being advised of her constitutional rights or with legal counsel present.

“I was so scared I could barely hold my pen and write it [the statement],” she told Fox News Digital.

The following day, the district announced a revised policy for its Spirit Rock Speech Code that bans all political or religious messages and requires messages to reflect “positive school spirit,” “inclusive values,” and be in “good taste.”

RHODE ISLAND TEACHER WHO CALLED CHARLIE KIRK ‘PIECE OF GARBAGE’ SET TO RETURN TO CLASSROOM AFTER SUSPENSION

The same day, Stout’s mother was told by the principal that the investigation into her daughter had been closed, and no disciplinary action would be taken.

On October 11, the school district sent out an internal message to the Ardrey Kell High School community to “clarify” the principal’s September 14 statement. The message stated that the spirit rock incident was “not an act of vandalism,” “was not a violation of the student code of conduct” and “law enforcement was not contacted to conduct an investigation.”

The complaint alleges that the school’s statement did not acknowledge it had compelled Stout to prepare a written statement without advising her of her rights and said its claim it had not contacted law enforcement contradicted its prior statement to local news outlet WFAE. 

Stout’s parents say the school board has refused to issue a public correction to clear Gabby’s name, despite their repeated requests.

Since the incident, she has faced health problems from stress, alienation and ostracization from friends and fellow students, the complaint says. On social media, the complaint says, Stout was targeted for roughly six weeks with messages from students and others online celebrating the news that she would be investigated and disciplined. Messages celebrated the idea of Stout and her friends going to prison, labeled them as “racist thugs” and left threats like “Die like Kirk.”

The complaint, filed by Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of the student’s parents, alleges that the school’s actions and policies violated her First, Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment rights. It calls for the school to issue a public statement acknowledging these violations, for the school to remove all negative information from Stout’s school records and issue a formal letter of apology.

It also demands the school stop enforcing its vandalism and revised speech code policies regarding the spirit rock, alleging the policies enable viewpoint discrimination.

The school had allowed personal and political messages on the rock before this incident. In 2020, the school allowed students to paint a pro-Black Lives Matter message on the rock. Students painted a “black power” fist symbol along with names of individuals they believed were victims of police brutality, the complaint states. After other students painted over the BLM message, the school board held an emergency meeting and allowed students to repaint the BLM message again, this time with more political messages, including “No Justice. No Peace,” “I can’t breathe” and “End police brutality.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

FLORIDA TEACHER WINS LAWSUIT, GETS TO RESTORE CHARLIE KIRK POSTER SCHOOL DISTRICT BANNED FROM CLASSROOM

In November, school officials also facilitated a student walkout from class to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) raids, Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Travis Barham told Fox News Digital.

“So they’ll facilitate that kind of left-wing student expression and not just facilitate it, but praise the students who participated,” he said. “But let Gabby express a conservative or Christian view on the spirit rock, and criminal charges fly.”

Stout told Fox News Digital she felt targeted for her beliefs.

“I don’t think it was fair what happened to me because of my beliefs or my views, which are religious and conservative,” she said. “This has never happened to another group that the school district or school has agreed with. I thought that I was going to get in trouble for sharing my views and my beliefs.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The complaint is brought by the student’s parents against the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. It also asks the court to award nominal and compensatory damages for the constitutional violations, attorneys’ fees and costs and any additional relief the court deems proper.

The Board declined to comment.

A Louisiana hunting trip turned tragic when a father described as having a “heart of gold” was accidentally shot and killed last month.

Garret Verdun, 45, died when a hunting rifle accidentally discharged as he and his hunting partner were walking to their hunting spots in Lafourche Parish around 4 p.m. on Nov. 29, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) said in a news release.

Verdun’s partner told LDWF the two had just crossed a cattle guard when Verdun passed him the rifle and it went off. The .308-caliber round struck Verdun, killing him before first responders arrived, officials said.

His body was turned over to the Lafourche Parish Coroner’s Office. LDWF is assisting the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office with the investigation.

TEXAS FATHER DIES IN ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING ON HUNTING TRIP, DAUGHTER SAYS FAMILY IS ‘HEARTBROKEN’

Verdun is survived by his 19-year-old  daughter Chloe, his son Ethan, and his fiancée Tiffany Hunter.

Chloe paid tribute to her father on Facebook, writing, “I wish more than anything I wouldn’t be making this post, but I’m so blessed to have shared 19 years with you. I love you forever, Dad, and always will.”

She added: “You will forever be my role model and favorite person. Until we meet again, forever will be your love bug.”

An online obituary remembered Verdun as a man with a “heart of gold” who was “ready to lend a hand or offer a comforting word,” noting that “his life, though too short, was rich with deep relationships and a boundless capacity for love.”

YOUNG HUNTERS IN COLORADO DIED IN ‘INSTANT,’ CORONER REVEALS

It said his greatest joy came from time spent with his children, fiancée and family.

“Garret was an avid outdoorsman at heart,” the obituary continued. “He was gifted with hands of a craftsman and enjoyed carpentry and building things. Above all else, his family was his passion, always putting them first. He will be missed by all who knew him.”

The family asks that those wishing to honor Verdun to donate in his name to the Wounded Warrior Project rather than send flowers.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

LDWF reminded hunters to keep firearms unloaded and safeties engaged while traveling to and from their hunting locations.

The guilty plea by former Colleton County Clerk Becky Hill may draw questions surrounding Alex Murdaugh’s bid for retrial, but it is unlikely to sway the state’s highest court as it considers whether he deserves a new trial, according to former South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon.

Hill, who oversaw jury management and courtroom logistics during Murdaugh’s 2023 murder trial, pleaded guilty Monday to perjury, obstruction of justice and misconduct in office. She also admitted to showing journalists sealed exhibits, misusing public funds and promoting her book about the trial while in office. A judge sentenced her to three years probation.

Hill’s long-awaited plea comes less than two months before the South Carolina Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in February on Murdaugh’s bid for retrial. His defense team has pointed to Hill’s misconduct as evidence that jury integrity was compromised.

“I do think it will be one of their grounds, and it does have some appeal to the public,” Condon told Fox News Digital. “But from a legal standpoint, I really don’t think it’s the strongest grounds [for a retrial]. In fact, I think it’s their weakest one.”

MURDAUGH FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER SAYS WHITE TRUCK ‘HAUNTS’ HER FROM NIGHT OF MURDERS YEARS LATER

Hill became central to Murdaugh’s bid for retrial after several jurors alleged she made improper comments during the trial and took members of the media into the courthouse after hours to review exhibits. The allegation led to an evidentiary hearing before former Chief Justice Jean Toal in January 2024, who questioned all 12 jurors.

“Eleven of the twelve clearly stated under oath that none of this affected their verdict whatsoever. There was one juror called juror Z, and she was very ambivalent. She first said that it did affect her verdict, then later on in her testimony, she said she stuck by her affidavit where she said that the other jurors pressured her into her verdict, which of course happens all the time in a jury situation, which wouldn’t be a grounds for an appeal,” Condon said.

“I think when our Supreme Court hears this, it will not be an effective ground to get a new trial,” he said.

ALEX MURDAUGH SLAMS NEW TRUE-CRIME SERIES DEPICTING FAMILY’S DOUBLE-MURDER: ‘MISLEADING PORTRAYALS’

While Hill’s behavior was “disappointing,” Condon said, the Palmetto State’s law requires that a defendant show either actual prejudice or probable impact on the jury’s decision. Condon argued that Murdaugh’s defense team, led by Dick Harpootlian, couldn’t meet the state’s threshold to guarantee a new trial.

“The judge was right to focus on the fact that there’s no evidence it affected the actual process,” Condon said. “Given her lack of a prior record, what she’s done for the community, and that no jury tampering had any effect on the outcome, I think the probation sentence is appropriate.”

Condon said that he thinks the defense may find more traction in arguing about the trial judge’s decision to allow extensive evidence related to Murdaugh’s financial crimes.

In the six-week 2023 trial, prosecutors spent nearly two weeks presenting testimony on Murdaugh’s financial wrongdoing that was not directly tied to the murder charges but was offered to establish motive.

“One could argue that that was just way too much,” Condon said. “But even on that ground, the record will show that if it rises to a level of concern, the court may end up saying it’s a harmless error or that the defense opened the door.”

ALEX MURDAUGH’S DOUBLE LIFE: HOW GREED AND CORRUPTION BROUGHT DOWN LOWCOUNTRY LEGAL EMPIRE

Condon, who sat through Murdaugh’s murder trial, said that even if a second trial were granted, he still believes the disgraced attorney would be convicted.

“I do think that, from an appellate standpoint, given the Himalayan mountain of evidence against Alex Murdaugh, he is unlikely to receive a new murder trial. At the end of the day, I don’t think Murdaugh gets that new trial. And even if he did, which I doubt, he is going to remain in prison for the rest of his life—either in state or federal custody.”

FOX NATION: FALL OF THE HOUSE OF MURDAUGH: FROM EGG TO Z

Even if Murdaugh were granted a retrial, he would remain incarcerated due to his lengthy state and federal sentences related to his financial crimes. But Condon believes Murdaugh is “highly motivated” to clear the murder conviction, in part because of the stain on his family’s legacy.

“My expectation is that this court is going to affirm these murder verdicts,” he said. “Alex Murdaugh will not only remain in prison, but he’ll remain in prison for being a murderer.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Murdaugh was convicted in March 2023 of killing his wife and son and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

In a statement to Fox News, Murdaugh’s defense attorney said: “The guilty plea is not surprising. More importantly, the agency expected to impartially investigate these charges has a vested interest in avoiding any outcome that would question the verdict of the initial Alex Murdaugh murder trial. If Becky admittedly perjured herself in the jury tampering hearing held by Judge Toal, what else could she have lied about?”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Hill’s attorney, Will Lewis, for comment.