Incident Details
- Date of Incident
- July 28, 2022
- Location
- Thomasville, North Carolina
- Targets
- Derrick Deon Reid (WGHP)
- Assailant
- Private individual
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
- Equipment Broken
- Actor
- Private individual
Equipment Damage
FOX8 photojournalist Derrick Deon Reid was assaulted by two men on July 28, 2022, while reporting on animal mistreatment claims at a dog boarding facility in Davidson County, North Carolina, according to news reports.
Reid, who was not identified by FOX8 in a report about the assault, was later identified by the Winston-Salem Journal. According to FOX8, Reid was gathering footage on an animal boarding facility previously fined for violating the state’s Animal Protection Act when Marshall Everhart and Zachary Everhart, one of the facility's owners, attacked him.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by the Winston-Salem Journal, Reid sustained broken or loosened teeth and possibly a broken jaw. The warrant also accuses Marshall Everhart of holding Reid against his will and damaging his camera equipment after trying to take the camera from him. Official documents state that he also damaged Reid’s vehicle, causing more than $200 in damage.
The Davidson County Sheriff’s Department, which did not respond to a request for comment from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, arrested Marshall Everhart after the incident, while Zachary Everhart turned himself in to the sheriff’s office. Officials charged both men with felony larceny, assault inflicting serious bodily injury, kidnapping and injury to personal property.
FOX8 did not respond to requests for comment from the Tracker. In a statement to the Winston-Salem Journal, FOX8 Vice President and General Manager Jim Himes declined to comment on Reid’s condition, citing federal privacy laws.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
