Albemarle County resident John Miska, 68, Algenon Cain, 28, of Red Springs, N.C. and William Hawkins Jr., 53, of Amelia, Va., were arrested by law enforcement personnel downtown Saturday for disorderly conduct, trespassing and public intoxication, respectively, on the one-year anniversary weekend of the white nationalist Unite the Right rally.
Miska was arrested by Virginia State Police personnel at 11:37 a.m outside of CVS on the Downtown Mall.
Known for trying to remove a shroud from a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in nearby Market Street Park (formerly known as Emancipation Park), Miska was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct after an officer looked through an opaque shopping bag and saw razor blades which Miska purchased at the CVS. When told he was under arrest, Miska calmly gave himself up as zip ties were placed on his hands. State police officers then escorted Miska out of the mall.
Miska was trying to make a statement against the prohibited items restrictions currently in place in the downtown area due to the possibility of potential demonstrations during the anniversary weekend. That list of items includes razor blades.
While being arrested Miska said to the onlookers that “This is a loss of constitutional rights here in Charlottesville.”
Meanwhile, Cain was arrested twice Saturday — both times he was released by the magistrate, according to Sgt. Tony Newberry of the Charlottesville Police Department. While Newberry said that Cain was arrested downtown, he did not confirm where.
Hawkins was arrested after state police noticed him “walking unsteadily” and administered him a sobriety test, according to a recent press release.
