ORANGE COUNTY, NC - A sheriff's office in North Carolina reportedly terminated one of its detention officers after he allegedly posted "I am Antifa" on his social media account.
Earlier this week, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) said that Detention Officer Brian Edwards was fired from his position after learning of "concerning social media posts," according to Fox News.
"I am Antifa," an account allegedly belonging to Edwards posted to Bluesky on Friday, September 19.
"And I will never comply with a fascist regime."
In another post, Edwards allegedly linked to a video on his YouTube channel of a song he performed called, "Old Man Trump," according to the News&Obsever.
Edwards said the song was "inspired by the words of Woody Guthrie, and that it 'calls out injustice, intolerance, and the legacy of hate left by Donald Trump.'"
The post included a photo of a guitar with "this Machine Kills Fascists" written on it with a marker. Following the alleged social media post, OCSO Chief Deputy Tina Sykes placed Edwards on administrative leave. An investigation into the matter has been 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 fired from his position at the sheriff's office.
"I respect the sheriff's office, but I disagree with how my situation was handled," Edwards said in a statement.
"I'm focused on moving forward and won't be commenting further at this time," he added.
According to a February 2024 post by the sheriff's office, Edwards began working at the law enforcement agency 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 at the time.
"We must maintain the public trust as we go about our mission to protect, serve, and treat everyone with dignity and respect," OCSO Sheriff Charles Blackwood said regarding the incident involving Edwards.
Edwards graduated from UNC-Pembroke in 2016 with a degree in political science, where he also served as president of the College Democrats.
Earlier this week, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) said that Detention Officer Brian Edwards was fired from his position after learning of "concerning social media posts," according to Fox News.
"I am Antifa," an account allegedly belonging to Edwards posted to Bluesky on Friday, September 19.
"And I will never comply with a fascist regime."
In another post, Edwards allegedly linked to a video on his YouTube channel of a song he performed called, "Old Man Trump," according to the News&Obsever.
Edwards said the song was "inspired by the words of Woody Guthrie, and that it 'calls out injustice, intolerance, and the legacy of hate left by Donald Trump.'"
The post included a photo of a guitar with "this Machine Kills Fascists" written on it with a marker. Following the alleged social media post, OCSO Chief Deputy Tina Sykes placed Edwards on administrative leave. An investigation into the matter has been 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 fired from his position at the sheriff's office.
"I respect the sheriff's office, but I disagree with how my situation was handled," Edwards said in a statement.
"I'm focused on moving forward and won't be commenting further at this time," he added.
According to a February 2024 post by the sheriff's office, Edwards began working at the law enforcement agency 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 at the time.
"We must maintain the public trust as we go about our mission to protect, serve, and treat everyone with dignity and respect," OCSO Sheriff Charles Blackwood said regarding the incident involving Edwards.
Edwards graduated from UNC-Pembroke in 2016 with a degree in political science, where he also served as president of the College Democrats.
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Comments
2025-09-27T18:43-0400 | Comment by: Philip
Go Fund Me... Anyone?
2025-09-27T18:45-0400 | Comment by: Philip
Maybe Brian feels like the antifa girls are easier.
2025-09-27T18:46-0400 | Comment by: Philip
Maybe Brian feels like the antifa girls are easier.
2025-09-27T23:36-0400 | Comment by: Larry
Don't they screen people any better than that before hiring them? No way should someone like him have a badge and gun!!!
2025-09-28T19:38-0400 | Comment by: James
These low life's actually believe they can get away with this crap! If he "is Antifa" he will be arrested, right?!