Norbert Eugene Logsdon Jr. is the Florida man accused of striking a teenage girl with a flagpole during a demonstration in support of President Donald Trump.
According to a video of the incident, Logsdon shoved the pole through the open window of the victim’s vehicle as she tried to roll it up. The girl, who was riding in the passenger seat, was hit in the face and chest, according to the arrest report.
The altercation happened on September 16 in Orange Park, which is a suburb of Jacksonville. Logsdon was arrested later that evening and has been charged with felony child abuse, according to the arrest bulletin on the Clay County Sheriff’s Office website.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Victim’s Mother Said They Shouted Support for Joe Biden & Claimed the Pro-Trump Supporters Were Flipping Other Drivers Off
The altercation happened along the 300 block of Blanding Boulevard just before 7 p.m. on September 16, according to the Clay County arrest record. The victim’s mother, Crystal Ledoux, told WJAX-TV she saw a group of people demonstrating in support of Trump at the intersection of Loch Rane Boulevard.
Ledoux said she was taking her daughter out for dinner at Freddy’s. She missed the entrance and claimed that as she made a U-turn in the Wells Fargo parking lot, she saw the demonstrators flipping drivers off the intersection. Ledoux told First Coast News she and her 13-year-old daughter reciprocated the hand gesture and yelled “Biden 2020” at the group.
But Ledoux couldn’t immediately drive away because there was another car in front of her. She told WJAX-TV Logsdon came toward them with the flagpole and shoved it through the open passenger side window before she could roll it up.
Her daughter was struck on the right side of her face and chest, according to the arrest report, and the responding officer noted that he “did observe redness to the victim’s right face.”
2. Logsdon Was Charged With Felony Child Abuse
Deputies identified Logsdon through his license plate number, which Ledoux had noted at the scene. Logsdon was arrested at his home in Orange Park “without incident” and taken to the Clay County Jail, according to the arrest report.
According to a national database of inmate records, Logsdon was booked into jail just before 9 p.m. on September 16. He bonded out the following afternoon.
Logsdon was charged with felony child abuse without causing great bodily harm. According to the state’s legal code, “A person who knowingly or willfully abuses a child without causing great bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement to the child commits a felony of the third degree.”
As of this writing, it was not yet clear whether Logsdon had hired an attorney who could comment on the case on his behalf. The case had not yet been entered into Clay County court records.
3. Logsdon Posted About Being ‘Triggered’ on Facebook
Logsdon has not spoken publicly since he was released from custody. Reporter Ryan Nelson of WJAX-TV recorded himself calling Logsdon to ask for his side of the story.
In the clip, Logsdon is heard telling Nelson, “You can talk to my attorney. Goodbye.” Nelson reported that when he texted Logsdon for his attorney’s name, Logsdon responded “Dewey Cheatem and Howe” — a fictional law firm name with variations that some may recognize from television, radio and literature, including the former National Public Radio show “Car Talk” and the television comedy The Three Stooges.
But Logsdon may have alluded to the case on Facebook. On September 19, he changed his profile picture to a quote. It reads, “They never want to discuss what triggered you. Just how you reacted.” Several people have “liked” the post, but as of this writing, no one had commented on it.
4. Logsdon Promoted the Marines on Facebook & Has Been a Registered Republican in Florida Since 1993
Logsdon listed his hometown as Louisville, Kentucky, on his Facebook page. Clay County property records show Logsdon and his family have been living in northern Florida for nearly 30 years. Logsdon and his wife, who grew up in the Philippines, have owned their Orange Park home since at least 1993. Logsdon has been a registered Republican in Florida since 1993, voter registration records show.
Logsdon appears to be a military veteran. His wife explained on her own Facebook page that their twin sons are both Marines and that they served in Iraq and Afghanistan. On a photo with his sons in their uniforms, which appears to have been made private since Heavy initially published the story, a friend of Logsdon’s wrote, “Good looking Marines, all three!”
In addition to the American flag, Logsdon flies the flag of the U.S. Marine Corps outside his home. He has a photo of the two flags as his cover picture on Facebook. Logsdon’s Facebook photos also include one of him wearing a Marines hat along with a T-shirt bearing James Mattis’ headshot.
5. Logsdon Got in a Fistfight Over His Pro-Trump Sign at an Early Voting Location in 2016
Logsdon made local headlines in early 2016 for a violent encounter over a pro-Trump sign. According to WJAX-TV, Logsdon was holding a “Veterans for Trump” sign near an early voting precinct at the Orange Park Library on November 3, 2016. His friend held a sign that read, “Clinton lies to America.”
The CBS affiliate, citing police, reported that a younger man stole Logsdon’s sign, prompting Logsdon to chase after him. Edward Curry, who was 23 at the time, told police that one of his friends took the sign after they had finished voting.
But when Logsdon approached their SUV, Curry was the person who got out of the vehicle to face Logsdon. He said Logsdon threw the first punch. Logsdon fell down during the fight and required surgery on his wrist. No arrests were made.
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