Man allegedly assaulted boy, 13, for not removing his hat during national anthem, reports say

Charles James Brockway, 39, has been charged with assault of a minor. (Montana Department of Corrections)

Montana man has been charged with assault of a minor for allegedly slamming a 13-year-old boy to the ground for not removing his hat during the national anthem, according to reports.

Charles James Brockway, 39, was arrested Saturday evening at the Mineral County Fair and Rodeo in Superior, a small town in northwestern Montana, the Missoulian reported.

Taylor Hennick, a witness cited by the paper, said the national anthem had begun at the fairgrounds when she saw a boy, “lying on the ground.”

“He was bleeding out of his ears, seizing on the ground, just not coherent,” Hennick said.

Other witnesses told Missoula’s KPAX-TV they saw Brockway slam the boy to the ground. Brockway allegedly told encroaching bystanders the assault was justified because the boy had been “disrespecting the national anthem,” Hennick said.

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