Buster

Man, 23, Arrested For Trying To Remove Towering South Carolina Eyesore

A man drove three hours from Atlanta, Georgia to South Carolina, where he allegedly tried to remove a gigantic Confederate flag that flies on a property adjacent to Interstate 85, police charge.

Cops responded Saturday night to a 911 call about a trespasser climbing a fence near the towering Spartanburg County flagpole (seen above), which looms over the busy nearby roadway and was erected by a local chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Police say they encountered James Daniel Blitch, 23, who was found carrying a Dremel and tool bits when he was arrested.

Blitch reportedly told cops that he “did not agree with the confederate flag and wanted to lower it.” Asked about a reported vandalism the prior night near the flagpole, Blitch, who was described as "upfront and cooperative," denied involvement.

Charged with two trespassing counts, Blitch spent a night in jail before being released from custody Sunday afternoon after posting $465 cash bond.

Blitch, pictured at right, reportedly told cops that he had planned to drive back to Atlanta after lowering the flag. Blitch’s address is listed in court records as his family’s stately home in the upscale Buckhead neighborhood.

Blitch’s parents are both lawyers: his father is a solo practitioner, while his mother is senior counsel at The Coca-Cola Company and a board member of the Georgia Justice Project, a criminal justice reform group.