Wisconsin man who allegedly ripped down statue of abolitionist is also charged with looting a jewelry store
Chuck Ross on June 27, 2020
Police in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday charged a 30-year-old man in connection with the looting of a jewelry store during protests in May over the death of George Floyd, and for his alleged role in toppling a statue of an anti-slavery Civil War hero earlier this week.
Kelsey D. Nelson was charged with burglary after he was identified on camera looting Goodman’s Jewelers in the Wisconsin capitol on May 30.
Nelson was part of a large group who broke into the jewelry store and stole tens of thousands of dollars in merchandise, according to WMTV, Madison’s NBC News affiliate. Nelson himself took $10,000 worth of jewelry, the police report stated.
Police also said that Nelson was identified from surveillance camera footage exiting an SUV that was used to tear down a statue of Civil War hero, Col. Hans Christian Heg, on June 23.
The removal of the statue generated widespread outrage because of Heg’s role in the abolitionist movement prior to the Civil War. Heg was a member of the Free Soil Party, which formed in the 1850s to oppose the expansion of slavery in the United States, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
The statue was erected in 1895 to honor Heg, who, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society, led a Union brigade that battled Confederate troops in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. He died in September 1863 after being shot in battle.
“What happened in Madison last night presented a stark contrast from the peaceful protests we have seen across our state in recent weeks, including significant damage to state property,” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers tweeted on Wednesday.
A police incident report said that surveillance footage showed a crowd using chains attached to the SUV to tear down the statue, according to WMTV. The report also said that investigators were able to track down the SUV, and that it is registered to Nelson.
Nelson faces up to 16 years in prison if convicted on both charges, WMTV reported.
Tim Carpenter, a Democratic state senator, said he was also violently attacked during the riots in Madison on the same night the Heg statue was torn down. He said on Twitter that he was kicked and punched by protesters, and that he believed he suffered a concussion.
“Innocent people are going to get killed,” he tweeted on Wednesday.
Protesters have attacked statues and monuments across the country. Many of the statues have been of Confederate generals, though some of Founding Fathers have also been targeted.
Protesters in Washington, D.C., attempted this week to remove the Emancipation Memorial, a statue of Abraham Lincoln standing over a freed slave. Students at the University of Wisconsin in Madison also sought to remove a statue of Lincoln this week, with one activist claiming that even though he opposed slavery, “he was very publicly anti-black.”
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Ya-know…all in the name of “social justice…” ya-think…?!?!?
No plea deal… go for the max.
These are not Protesters. They are Vandals, looters or rioters, please call them what they are, criminals.
So, what do we have here, a criminal committing two criminal acts? Who would have thought?
Here’s a big surprise, people so ignorant that they don’t even know what statue they are taking down! And imagine, they have been looting and rioting too!!? Sixteen years isn’t enough time for some of these knuckleheads !!
Giving in to there whims has got to atop. They keep screaming they are a minority so stop this crap. Majority rules & it says time for Marshall law. Kill a few of them & the crap will stop. When marshell law takes over they make THE arrest they go to Military jail they can not be bailed out thank goodness. They go before a,military tribunal & serve their sentence in a military prison. How many of these idiots do you think will continue the carnage once they see there will be a grave price to pay for their actions.
this moron definitely knows nothing about US history. the hatred for Abe that caused his life for freeing the slaves. nothing will please these lunatics good or bad. high time all these deranged lunatics throw into prison and let them eat maggots retrieve from the dead corpses of the BLM terrorists.
Surprise, Surprise; another criminal who will walk & be turned into a martyr.
He is a perfect sample of the BLM and Antifa terrorist group, They are all useless low life scum and deserve to be sent to prison, even though we all know that nothing will happen to this criminal. Some liberal bought and paid for judge will turn him lose with a slap on the wrist and if he promises not to do anything criminal for the rest of his life That is the way justice works if you are a terrorist
We seem to have moronic mobs that obviously don’t know or understand US history from our early founding years! Jail time for all who desecrate both Public and Private property!
This story just proves that the people tearing down these memorials have no clue what any of them represent. It also proves they are being led by deceptive people and they are being used by them.
Should be placed in solitary confinement
Public executions for destroying statues – NO FUSS NO MUSS.
It is an attempt to destroy society, the Judeo-Christian values, morals which built the BEST soceity ever.
It is a deMonic, EVIL act by a WRONGDOER. Send the EVILDOERS back to hell from where they came.
NO FREE LUNCH. NO FREE HOUSING. kNOw mORe.
They don’t want to be looked at likr they are uncivilized animals yet that is EXACTLY how they misbehave. If you act like a thug, expect to be treated as such. Why don’t the BLM movement say what is really on their minds….Only Black Lives Matter…and if you are white and back this movement, congratulations, you are their u
“Useful Idiot” which they have absolutely no problem discarding at a moment’s notice.
Give him 20 too life for being a useless pos .
A long drop on a short rope would be the best solution for this turd.
TOPLE HIM WITH A ROPE TIED TO A VAN, AND DRAG HIS ARSE ALL OVER THE CITY!!
The sinful nature of mankind is on full display these days. 1. We are all created in God’s image, so all lives matter no matter how much melanin you have in your skin. 2. Ethnic black people kill each other all year long with 104 wounded and 14 deaths in Chicago alone on fathers day this year with not a peep from BLM. Something is wrong with that! 3. The outfit that manages the finances for BLM is vice-chaired by a convicted domestic left-wing terrorist pardoned by Bill Clinton his last day in office. Hmm? 4. BLM is a left-wing orchestrated political movement using some unsuspecting black and white Americans as pawns for political means. You would think from all the media hype that only white people are hate-mongering bigots but from my perspective, blacks are just as hateful and bigoted as any white person. As a white person, Just wander into the wrong part of town and you’ll find out quickly how hateful black people can be! Tearing down your country will not solve anything. In my opinion, the solution to all this is Jesus Christ, but we are now a post-Christian nation and no one wants to hear about Jesus. No one can fix you; you have to do that yourself with the help of others and no amount of money, violence, or guilt-tripping will do it. This whole thing is a democratically endorsed power play to win the election. It’s time to put an end to it, with force if necessary!
Attorney General Barr is assembling multiple task forces across the country with the input of the FBI to indict and prosecute the fomenters of violent protests. There are numerous anti-democracy groups using peaceful protests to riot and cause civil unrest. They are and will be punished to the full extent of the law. They suspect there are foreign governments supporting these rioters.
YA reap what you sow. Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile……city should find real Americans for their government.
The citizens of Wisconsin that voted for these evil and wicked communist deserve their punishment!
He deserves not only the maximum prison time, but should be ordered to pay to replace the statue and reimburse the jewelry store for the stolen items. If others are eventually arrested and convicted for their part in either incident, reimburse this person for a portion of the costs recouped from the others.
Happy to hear these low life trailer park punks are getting snagged. Ten years on top of whatever 10k in bling gets you? Yeah, moving in the right direction.. Guess they’ll give up some names too. Excellent! Also happy to hear a dem politico got the crap beat out of him. Maybe these ass(et)wipes kicked some sense into him, think it may take more than that though. Just sayin’.
Whether it’s from surveillance cameras or cell phones I hope the authorities crack down more on those that violated our history, our businesses, for no reason other than to destroy. They don’t even know what they’re destroying. Just shows the mob mentality is very low. Got to get the head of the snake.
Now that’s talking ! ! Make it happen !!
Now that’s talking ! ! Make it happen !
I bet he’s wishing for a do-over right about now. The President is making it a mandatory 10 years for destruction of state and federal property. Let us hope there isn’t a liberal judge or jury when this idiot goes to trial. No do-overs….you made your bed now lie on your cot in your cell and think about it for 10 years or more.
Was the guy white or black. I may have missed that part while reading the article but usually if they don’t specify the person was WHITE means the person is actually BLACK. Either way, the guy has freedom of speech and the right to protest but not to destroy public property and loot private businesses. Max the guy out for his crimes.