OKEECHOBEE COUNTY, Fla. — Video WPTV obtained shows former Okeechobee County Commissioner Bryant Culpepper led out of the Okeechobee Historic Courthouse in handcuffs after he was arrested for battery during a commission meeting last Thursday.
The altercation occurred after a group of protestors, mostly from outside the county, protested the county sheriff’s office arrest of Warren Sapp in February 2024, and freedom of speech. Board commissioners held a special meeting Thursday to review ordinances on the public’s participation in public meetings like public comments.
“This chairmen is not going to sit here and take the abuse and I said this last time,” said Board Chairman David Hazellief during the April 3rd meeting. “We’re not going to sit here and take this abuse.”
WATCH: Former Okeechobee County Commissioner arrested on assault charge
After former NFL player and Super Bowl XXXVII champion Warren Sapp asked the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office for $20 million in damages for a wrongful arrest in February 2024, videos show protestors started coming to board commission meetings.
Video shows George Nathansen is one of those protestors, who has come to multiple meetings. The footage from the county showed him walking around the chamber with cameras and a “thin blue line” flag attached to his belt.
WATCH BELOW: Confrontation between Nathansen, Culpepper
Culpepper, who is a former county commissioner, said he was at the meeting last Thursday for a different issue. He said he approached Nathansen, because he was dragging and stepping on the flag.
“They made me feel angry,” Culpepper said. “They made me feel angry, because what they were doing and the besmirching of our most important people in this county and that’s law enforcement, our military, our veterans and our flag.”
Culpepper said he made contact with Nathansen, because he was scared he would have been physically harmed. He said he plans to fight the misdemeanor charges in court.
“Why do you think they passed a law called Stand Your Ground, ask that,” he told WPTV’s Ethan Stein in a phone interview.
WATCH: Why is Warren Sapp asking Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office for $20 million?
WPTV reached out to Nathansen who explained via email his reason for walking around the chamber with a “thin blue line” flag attached to his belt.
“This is how I feel, the blue-line flag is the dog for the government," he said. "The police are there to enforce the government’s policy, not the constitution. The policy is not law, the constitution is the law.”
He also said he left like he was being targeted during the meeting.
“On March 27, I feel that it was a planned attack on me, because as soon as I walked into the meeting, I didn’t see anything right away. Then, The Armed Fisherman got up to speak, I went to the wall where the police officer was, then I saw the 'Back the Blue' sign," Nathansen said. "They should not have that sign up there. I feel it was part of the conspiracy to stop me from exercising my free speech on dragging the blue-line flag on the ground. “
