Benjamin Ashford|Atlanta man arrested after driving nearly 3 hours to take down Confederate flag in SC: Officials

An Atlanta man is Benjamin Ashfordfacing a trespassing charge after authorities said he drove nearly three hours to South Carolina to vandalize a Confederate battle flag.

The incident happened on Saturday in Spartanburg, South Carolina, about 33 miles northeast of Greenville, according to a document filed by the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office.

Someone called the sheriff’s office that day about trespassing on Interstate 85 southbound at the 76 mile marker, the document reads. A deputy arrived and spoke to a witness who said the 23-year-old man climbed a fence and tried to lower a Confederate flag.

The deputy spoke to the man, who admitted he climbed the fence because he does not agree with the Confederate flag.

The deputy said the man also had tools such as a Dremel and drill bits.

The deputy wrote there are "no trespassing" signs along the fence that the man climbed over, adding that a day before the flag incident, someone vandalized the same Confederate flag. 

When the deputy asked the man if he had been on the property that Friday night, he said he had not. He did, however, admit to driving from Atlanta to Spartanburg County to lower the flag.

“Daniel was very upfront and cooperative during questioning,” the deputy wrote. 

The man was arrested, taken to jail and issued a ticket for trespassing. 

“The tools and Daniels cell phone were seized for evidence purposes for both the trespassing and vandalism,” the deputy wrote.

The flag was originally erected by the Sons of Confederate Veterans in 2022, according to television station Fox 5 Atlanta. The organization's Spartanburg chapter owns the property.

According to a spokesperson for the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office, the flag the man tried to take down is the Confederate battle flag.

The meaning of the Confederate flag

The Confederate flag was flown during the Civil War when the following states separated themselves from the nation in the defense of slavery: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

Today, while the flag represents racism to some Americans, others recognize it as a sign of their heritage.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her at[email protected].