Man arrested for pointing gun at Confederate flag supporters

CHESTERFIELD, VA (WWBT) - A Chesterfield family is waving their flags once again. They say police told them a man confessed to pointing a gun at one of the family members.

"The police went and investigated, and they let him go. He admitted everything and they just let him go, and I don't understand that," said Mark Wilson.

Initially, investigators had not charged the man, but on Tuesday evening, Chesterfield Police say 46-year-old James Baker was arrested for brandishing a firearm, a class one misdemeanor.

Despite the scary confrontation, Wilson says it won't stop his family from celebrating their heritage.

"I've actually always flown this flag. As you can see it's all tethered, I have had them all my life. My family is from Richmond, we settled here. I've got kin in Kentucky in the coal mines that have settled here, and I have had generations of family to die for his country," Wilson explained.

He says pride in his southern heritage does not make him a racist and that he does not agree with people who adopt the Confederate flag as an excuses to commit crimes against others.

But he says he will not be bullied.

"I'm not gonna be scared away from people that are acting ignorant and trying to act violent when it's not a violent thing," said Wilson. "This shouldn't be a race thing, it should be a heritage thing."

The Wilsons say some neighbors actually plan to join them in waving the flag.

Baker, meanwhile, has been released, pending his appearance in General District Court in September.

CORRECTION: The original story stated that police said Baker confessed. The story has been amended to reflect that Wilson claims that police said this.

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