NEZPERCE, ID – A 76-year-old man who struck another man in the head with a box wrench over a political flag with a swear word on it has been found guilty by a Lewis County Second District Court jury on a charge of Aggravated Battery. The case of State of Idaho vs. Chad Erickson stemmed from an April 17th incident in Kamiah where Erickson confronted the victim, David Bowers, over a flag flying in the bed of his pickup that said “F*** Biden.”
During the confrontation at a store parking lot, Erickson demanded the flag be removed. Bowers told him “no” and allegedly pushed Erickson, who then went to his vehicle, grabbed the box wrench, and struck Bowers in the head with the tool.
Following today’s verdict, Lewis County Sheriff Jason Davis said in a press release that the Sheriff’s Office takes both self-defense and free speech very seriously.
“In this case, despite the claims of self-defense, it was clear and apparently was clear to the jury that Erickson’s aggressive actions were not consistent with a claim of self-defense. Meanwhile, more than fifty years of Supreme Court precedent support the notion that the flag, while it may be offensive, is most definitely legal,” Davis says.
