Maskless Trump supporter charged with assault after allegedly breathing on two women
61-year-old Raymond Deskins accused of ‘doing a very powerful exhalation’ on both women
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A Trump supporter who went viral for exhaling over two women outside President Donald Trump’s golf course in Virginia has been arrested for assault, police have said.
On Saturday, a maskless man wearing a Trump inflatable was seen on video seemingly intentionally exhaling on two women after they tell him to back off.
In the video the man, wearing an inflatable round his stomach that reads “keep America great”, then walks away from the women smiling and says: “I breathed on you!”
The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office has said 61-year-old Raymond Deskins and said he has been charged with simple assault following the incident.
A public information officer for the sheriff’s office confirmed to CNN that the man charged is the man seen in the video.
Kathy Beynette, who recorded the footage told Fox5: “The incident itself came so out of nowhere that it was shocking.”
“It’s women asking a man with a toy around his waist and no mask to leave us alone,” she said.
Ms Beynette said the two women are particularly aware of the risk of coronavirus transmission because they are seniors.
“We’re both senior citizens both close to 70 years old, which puts us in a high-risk category,” she told NBC4.
Ms Beynette explained that she often protest’s outside the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, with others when the president attends the resort.
Ms Beynette said that this time a group of Trump supporters was counter-protesting their demonstration.
"He just proceeded to assault us by taking a deep breath and doing a very powerful exhalation on both of us,” Ms Beynette told NBC4.
It was not clear in the video what happened before the recording began.
According to the sheriff’s office, Mr Deskins also reported he was assaulted.
The sheriff’s office said “as the incident was not witnessed by the video and did not capture the entire interaction”, both parties were told they could go to Loudoun County Magistrate and seek a citizen obtained warrant.
Ms Beynette told Fox5 that she and the other woman involved went to obtain the warrant as advised by the sheriff’s office.
Members of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors called for a full investigation of the incident in a letter to the sheriff and Commonwealth’s attorney, the broadcaster said.
“I received emails, I have received Facebook posts, I have received phone calls and so have my colleagues on the board because we’re just horrified,” Board chair Phyllis Randall told the outlet.
Mr Deskins has been released on a summons, the sheriff’s office said. He has not yet responded to requests for comment from Fox5 and other outlets.
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