Teen sues school after Charlie Kirk vandalism tribute sparked criminal investigation
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.“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 sta...