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North Carolina teen sues school after Charlie Kirk tribute sparked ‘criminal investigation’ and censorship

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North Carolina teen sues school after Charlie Kirk tribute sparked ‘criminal investigation’ and censorship

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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.

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Charlie Kirk is seen in the Fiserv Forum on the third night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis., on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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.

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“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.”

Gabby Stout and her friends painted a Charlie Kirk message on the school’s “spirit rock” after his death. (Alliance Defending Freedom)

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.

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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.”

An image of slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk is placed at a memorial in his honor, at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. (Jim Urquhart/Reuters)

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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.”

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Image of “Spirit Rock” painted with Black Lives Matter message in 2020. (Alliance Defending Freedom)

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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.”

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A new complaint by Alliance Defending Freedom alleges a North Carolina high school district violated a student’s constitutional rights in how it handled a conflict over a spirit rock painted in tribute of Charlie Kirk. (plherrera/Getty)

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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.

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Smiling anti-ICE agitator accused of punching Florida trooper as DeSantis asserts, ‘This is not Minneapolis’

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Smiling anti-ICE agitator accused of punching Florida trooper as DeSantis asserts, ‘This is not Minneapolis’

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An anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agitator in Florida was arrested after allegedly punching a trooper in the face during an immigration enforcement operation. 

“This is Jennifer Cruz of Jacksonville,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote in an X post, sharing an image of the woman, who appeared to smile as law enforcement restrained her. 

Moments before she cracked a grin, video shows Cruz kicking toward a female officer while other law enforcement members had already placed her hands behind her back.

“Jennifer disagrees with immigration enforcement and decided to commit a few felonies by getting out of her car and punching a Trooper in the face. But unlike Minnesota, we don’t put up with this nonsense. Not today, Jennifer,” Uthmeier wrote.

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Authorities were seen restraining Jennifer Cruz, who allegedly punched a Florida trooper during an immigration enforcement operation. (@AGJamesUthmeier on X)

Footage shows a chaotic scene as authorities attempted to detain Cruz. As several officers placed her hands behind her back and walked her toward one of their vehicles, Cruz is seen attempting to kick another female officer nearby. Cruz then smirks as the officers detaining her place her on the hood of a vehicle. Once placed in the back of the vehicle, she is seen flailing her legs and continuing to shout at officers until the doors are shut.

A News4JAX reporter spoke to Juan Alvarez, the owner of the Mi Pueblo grocery store which was near where the incident occurred. He said he witnessed a traffic stop involving a state trooper. 

“ICE agents showed up with the state trooper. They detained the driver,” he said. 

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“And so yeah, they had an operation going on. And after that, they had detained another person. But it seems they got into an altercation with that person. It turned violent,” he said, noting that more law enforcement showed up.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shared Uthmeier’s post and wrote, “Really bad decision to attack one of our troopers. This isn’t Minneapolis…” 

DeSantis also mentioned the incident at an unrelated press conference on Thursday. 

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“I do know that there was a woman who came out and assaulted one of our troopers,” DeSantis said. “Let me just tell you guys this is not Minneapolis. That is not going to end well for you in Florida.”

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., quipped in a post, “Never go full Jennifer.”

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Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks at the National Conservative Convention in Washington D.C., Sept. 3, 2025. (Domonic Gwinn/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

 

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“This is how it’s done. In Florida, we respect law enforcement and have no patience for far-left extremists who choose to defend dangerous criminals instead of their fellow Americans. This isn’t Minneapolis. In Florida, if you break the law, you will pay the consequences,” Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., asserted on X.

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DeSantis addresses Jacksonville official who warned public of ICE presence, says Florida respects rule of law

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DeSantis addresses Jacksonville official who warned public of ICE presence, says Florida respects rule of law

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Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Thursday after a Jacksonville official was placed on administrative leave for warning people about their presence in the city. 

The City of Jacksonville’s Hispanic Outreach Coordinator, Yanira “Yaya” Cardona, was placed on administrative leave, after she said on an Instagram livestream Wednesday that ICE was placing “speed traps” around the city and named specific roads to watch out for.

When Fox News Digital reached DeSantis’ office for comment, it referred to a press conference the governor held on Thursday, where he vowed to uphold the rule of law.

The City of Jacksonville’s Hispanic Outreach Coordinator, Yanira “Yaya” Cardona, who was appointed by Mayor Donna Deegan, right, was placed on administrative leave. (Bob Self/Florida Times-Union/USA Today Network)

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“I know you had that one woman in the city of Jacksonville government putting out information. Look, that’s not the way we roll here in the state of Florida. You know, we’re going to respect law enforcement, respect the rule of law,” DeSantis said Thursday.

DeSantis added that Jennifer Cruz, a woman accused of assaulting ICE agents while on duty, would face “consequences.”

“I do know there was a woman who came out and assaulted one of our troopers. Let me just tell you guys, this is not Minneapolis. That is not going to end well for you in Florida,” he said.

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Cardona added that “ICE is out and about” and is targeting lawn care and A/C companies while checking for paperwork.

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She said that “unfortunately, this isn’t the time to fight” and advised her viewers to comply if addressed by authorities.

“The best advice that I could give you guys is if you don’t need to go out, stay home,” Cardona said. “Just comply, have a plan in place, and rely on the universe ’cause we’re here.”

ICE officer uniform. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

In the same Instagram post, Cardona wrote additional guidance on how to handle increased immigration enforcement.

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“We are living in very difficult times but my best advice is 1. Have a plan in place with your lawyers 2. Give someone you trust legal power for your business and your children 3. If you get pulled over, please pay attention and follow the instructions/orders.”

The City of Jacksonville told Fox News Digital that the “general locations shared in her video were common knowledge from community sightings already reported on news stories and social media.” City officials also referred to comments made by Deegan at a press conference discussing the matter on Thursday night.

“We are a city of immigrants. We probably have more immigrants than most cities in the country. And a lot of them are frightened right now. They’re having a very difficult time. They’re seeing what’s happening around the country. They’ve seen American citizens sometimes being detained and arrested. They are seeing some violence. They’re worried. They’re scared,” Deegan said.

Deegan explained further that Cardona being placed on administrative leave had nothing to do with the “content of what came out of her mouth.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. (AP/Rebecca Blackwell)

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“I don’t have any problem. We checked with the general counsel’s office. Nothing that she shared said anything about anyone who was here illegally. It was simply giving the community information that was freely available and also giving information about their legal rights,” Deegan said. She continued, “Get representation. Make sure you have a plan. She said a dozen times, if you are stopped, comply. So, it wasn’t the content of what she said that I took issue with. The reason that she was put on administrative leave is because we have a policy in this city.”

“We’ve got a mayor who is the spokesperson for the city, and we have people who follow the policy that if you are going to create any sort of social media content, if you are going to make any sort of commentary, especially in this office, that would be construed as coming from the mayor—That has to come through me or through our communications office. Period.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Cardona for comment.

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Florida GOP candidate wants 50% ‘sin tax’ on OnlyFans creators to fight ‘cultural degeneracy’

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Florida GOP candidate wants 50% ‘sin tax’ on OnlyFans creators to fight ‘cultural degeneracy’

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A Republican candidate for governor in Florida recently proposed a hefty “sin tax” on OnlyFans content creators if he is elected.

“Young women once aspired to be devoted mothers, doctors, lawyers, and nurses,” James Fishback told Fox News Digital in a statement on Friday.

Fishback continued, “Today, young women are told by an online platform called OnlyFans that it’s morally right to sell nude photos of themselves to strangers on the internet. I will not tolerate this cultural degeneracy as Florida’s next Republican Governor.”

He has estimated the income tax would raise around $200 million, according to FOX 35, which he said would be put into the state’s education system.

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James Fishback said he would be open to a possible tax on OnlyFans customers as well. (Fishback2026.com)

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The money would also go toward crisis pregnancy centers and to fund the “first-of-its-kind mental health czar for men in particular because men have been told for far too long that they are guilty of masculinity,” he told podcaster Joel Webbon this week. “That they are guilty for all of society’s ills. I’m not going to stand for that slanderous lie.”

He told Webbon: “As Florida’s governor, I don’t want young women who could otherwise be mothers raising families, rearing children, I don’t want them to be selling their bodies to sick men online. And I don’t want young, impressionable men who have strayed from Christ, who have strayed from our lord and savior to be told and drawn in to lust.”

Fishback told FOX 35 he would be open to a possible tax on OnlyFans customers as well.

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OnlyFans content creator Sophie Rain told People magazine she thought the proposal was the “dumbest thing” she had ever heard.

“No one ever forced me to start an OnlyFans, it was MY decision, so I don’t need a 31-year-old man telling me I can’t sell my body online,” she explained to the magazine. “I am a Christian, God knows what I am doing, and I know he is happy with me, that’s the only validation I need.”

Piper Fawn, another OnlyFans creator, told FOX 35 she felt Fishback was trying to push his religious beliefs with the proposal.

Sophie Rain, center, with content creators Aishah Sofey and Alina Rose.  (Wilbert Roberts/Getty Images for Main Character)

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“He’s saying, you know, it’s a sin, it’s wrong, that’s true, that’s fair,” she told the station. “But sin is a biblical term, it’s not a legal term. If he’s really trying to make the state a safer spot or making changes for the better, I feel like there are other things that can be worked on and putting our attention towards versus taxing creators.”

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Fox News Digital has reached out to OnlyFans for comment.

“If you are a man or woman selling your body on the internet, you can either have two options: The first of which, you can pay the state of Florida 50% so we can raise teacher pay, or you can quit doing that and do something morally rigorous,” Fishback added to FOX 35.

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