She Took Firebrand's Papers From Podium, Faces Charges

When a right-wing firebrand named Lucian Wintrich tried to give a speech titled "It's OK to Be White" last month at the University of Connecticut, things didn't end well. Wintrich, a reporter for Gateway Pundit, got into an altercation with a woman and ended up being charged with breach of the peace. Now, however, the script has been flipped: Charges against Wintrich have been dropped, while the woman he tussled with is facing larceny and disorderly conduct charges, reports the Hartford Courant. Catherine Gregory, 33, turned herself in over the weekend. Essentially, she's charged with stealing his speech. Video from the night shows her grabbing papers from Wintrich's podium, after which he runs after her, grabs her, and fights to get the papers back.

"Ms. [Gregory's] reaction was measured and understandable compared [with] other people's reaction in light of Wintrich's apparent goal of inciting a violent response," says her attorney. "That, of course, would not be covered by the First Amendment." Gregory is free on $1,000 bond and due back in court Wednesday, reports the AP. Wintrich, for his part, is happy with the turn of events. "I obviously think it's wonderful that finally the system corrected itself," he said Monday outside Superior Court in Rockville, Conn., per the Washington Post. "We don't want to create a precedent that people can walk up to speeches they find disagreeable and steal them. I mean, that's really not what America is about." (More University of Connecticut stories.)