North Carolina detention officer terminated over alleged ‘I am Antifa’ social media post

A sheriff’s office in North Carolina terminated one of its detention officers after he allegedly posted “I am Antifa” on social media.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office announced on Monday that Detention Officer Brian Edwards was terminated from his position after learning of “concerning social media posts,” according to a news release.

“I am Antifa,” an account belonging to Edwards posted to Bluesky on Friday. “And I will never comply with a fascist regime.”

Following Edwards’ post on social media, Orange County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Tina Sykes placed Edwards on administrative leave and an investigation was opened.

According to the sheriff’s office, the investigation “confirmed violations of both the Standards of Conduct and the Speech, Expression, and Social Networking sections of the policy manual.”

As a result, Edwards was terminated from his position at the sheriff’s office.

Edwards told WRAL he disagrees with how the sheriff’s office handled his situation.

“I respect the sheriff’s office, but I disagree with how my situation was handled. I’m focused on moving forward and won’t be commenting further at this time,” Edwards said.

Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said, “We must maintain the public trust as we go about our mission to protect, serve, and treat everyone with dignity and respect.”

According to a Feb. 2024 post by the sheriff’s office, Edwards began working at the law enforcement agency sometime in 2022.

“Brian used to be a correctional officer in a state prison in Caswell County. Although the responsibilities there were similar, more laws govern his current work.

“Detention Center inmates have more rights, primarily because most are still facing charges; they are not already convicted. Brian appreciates the increased complexity,” the sheriff’s office wrote.

Fox News Digital reached out to Edwards and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for comment.