A national activist and several other native Americans will be at the Carteret County Courthouse on Wednesday as the trial of a former law enforcement officer accused of attacking people holding a vigil at an American Indian burial site gets underway.
Early last summer, the Office of State Archaeology released a report saying thousands of Native American artifacts were found during construction at the Bridge View housing development in Cedar Point.
Soon after, the Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina conducted a ceremony there to honor their ancestors, and as they were leaving the site witnesses said a man approached the group angry about their presence and the incident turned violent.
Former Onslow County Sheriff’s Deputy James De la O, Jr. is charged with making threats, assault on a woman, and filing a false police report. He’s expected to be in court Wednesday morning.
True Healing Under God's founder and national activist John C. Barnett is appealing to the Carteret County District Attorney to upgrade the charges to include ethnic intimidation.
Barnett said, "To know that this officer tried to force these tax paying Indians off of this property is appalling. The truth in the matter is the Native American Indians were here way before his forefathers were. "
