Jonathan Pentland's home vandalized, family moved after army sergeant was charged with assaulting Black man
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA: The home of Jonathan Pentland, the South Carolina Army drill sergeant, who is under investigation after allegedly assaulting a Black man, has been vandalized by angry protesters. His family has been relocated to an undisclosed location.
On Wednesday, April 14, it was reported that Pentland was charged with third-degree assault, detained in the Richland Count jail and issued a personal recognizance bond. Jail records didn't show him as having an attorney. The US Department of Justice is also investigating the matter. Pentland has since been released from the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.
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'No justice, no peace!'
Protestors gathered outside Pentland's home and chanted "no justice, no peace!" after a video emerged of him allegedly pushing and harassing an African-American individual, later identified as Deandre. However, the peaceful protest soon turned violent.
The public outrage and fury against Pentland and his wife, who was also heard making remarks in the video, culminated in their house being vandalized. A statement from Richland County Sheriff's Office asked people to stay out of the area as the protests at the Pentland residence had turned violent.
"The protests at the Pentland home have become violent. The family was removed after it was vandalized. They were moved to another location and the neighborhood is being closed off except to residents. Please stay out of the area," the tweet read.
The protests at the Pentland home have become violent. The family was removed after it was vandalized. They were moved to another location and the neighborhood is being closed off except to residents. Please stay out of the area
— Richland County Sheriff's Dept. (@RCSD) April 15, 2021
After peaceful protests turned violent, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department shut down access to a Northeast neighborhood. According to WISTV, deputies were dispatched to the home of Jonathan Pentland around 8:20 pm, after receiving reports that it had been vandalized. Upon arrival, officials found that objects had been thrown at the home and through an upstairs window. A light fixture attached to the home was also reported broken.
The harassment video
Pentland was caught on camera harassing a Black youth in Summit, South Carolina on Tuesday, April 13. The video first surfaced on Twitter after an account with the handle @Angry_Staffer posted it on their page after being sent to them to amplify the matter. "'You came to the wrong neighborhood motherf****r," Pentland was heard telling Deandre.
Twitter, I’m told this super douche lives in The Summit in Columbia, South Carolina. If you recognize him, please DM me — I want to make sure the name I have is accurate before I blast it all over social media. pic.twitter.com/LYAVzL2FaE
— Angry Staffer (@Angry_Staffer) April 13, 2021
The video began with Pentland asking Deandre to walk away from the neighborhood while implying the latter didn't belong there. Deandre insisted that he was taking a walk and maybe Pentland was new to the neighborhood. However, Pentland kept reacting with anger. At one point, he shoved Deandre and yelled expletives at him while the latter kept arguing that he hadn't done anything that warranted the behavior. “Let’s go, walk away,” Pentland said. “I’m about to do something to you. You better start walking right now," he added.
Deandre is not a juvenile, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott revealed while addressing the matter. He also said that Deandre had been involved in other incidents in the neighborhood in the days leading up to the video but that "none of them justified the assault" and that Deandre won't be facing any charges.