Kandle Rogers was found guilty in district court today of assault on a government employee, and immediately appealed the verdict.
Nishawn Pridgen’s affidavit said that Rogers scratched his arm and called Pridgen a “nigger”, then cursed at him and threatened to have him arrested while Pridgen was putting out traffic cones during Hurricane Idalia’s flooding.
District Attorney Jon David requested a special prosecutor and a visiting judge for the case, as is typical with cases involving elected officials.
In his affidavit, Pridgen told the court that on Aug. 31, while floodwaters were rising in Whiteville, he was assigned to block Madison Street at Virgil with caution tape and traffic cones when a woman later identified as Rogers pulled up to the barricade. Rogers was reportedly trying to get to her family business downtown.
“A new model Tahoe pulled up with a lady jumping out, moving one of the cones I put out to block the road because of flooding,” the statement read. “When she got out, she moved my cone to make space to get through even though we had closed it off.
Pridgen put the cone back in place, he said.
“…when I moved it back she jumped back out her car being confrontational and asking me did I know who the f— she is. When I said no ma’am as I was in motion to put the cone back in place she ripped my caution tape and then grabbed my wrist.”
Rogers scratched Pridgen during the confrontation, the statement said.
Pridgen said that his superviser interceded and told him to “walk away,” and as Pridgen did so, Rogers “continued to berate (me) and called me a nigger as she got back into her truck.”
Rogers reportedly told Pridgen that he did not know who he was “f—— with, and if I called the police they were going to take me to jail.”
Pridgen immediately called police and gave them his statement. Rogers was served with a criminal summons several days later.
Rogers was given a 60-day suspended sentence, instructed to perform 20 hours community service, and ordered to pay court costs. Defense attorney William Gore filed an appeal to Superior Court.
