UPDATE: Couple Accused of Defacing Martinez BLM Mural Facing Burglary, Drug Charges
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY (CBS SF) -- The couple caught on video painting over a Black Lives Matter mural in Martinez in 2020 is now facing felony burglary and drug charges following an arrest late last year.
David Nelson and Nicole Anderson are scheduled to be tried on vandalism and civil rights violation charges for covering up the street mural outside the Martinez courthouse in 2020.
Anderson and Nelson were recorded on video in July while trying to cover the freshly completed mural in front of the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse on Court Street in downtown Martinez.
The temporary Black Lives Matter mural in front of the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse was painted after a local resident applied for a permit that was granted by the city.
In that video, Anderson is seen using a paint roller to cross out letters of the mural, saying such a mural "is not happening in my town."
Nelson was standing near Anderson, making a video of her painting over the
mural, saying, "There is no oppression, there is no racism, it's a leftist
lie."
The couple appeared soon afterward on a conservative TV host's program,
where they were praised for their actions.
The Bay Area News Group reports Nelson and Anderson have been charged with felony burglary for allegedly breaking into the walnut creek home of a recently-deceased man late last year.
Investigators said they found the homeowner's property in the couple's car and home along with a significant amount of methamphetamine.
