Brooksville man arrested wearing Confederate Flag mask

Brooksville - A Brooksville man is behind bars today after showing up at a protest at the Hernando County Courthouse while wearing a hockey mask.

The man with the mask painted with a Confederate flag was part of a protest  in support of keeping the statue of a Confederate soldier outside of the courthouse.

When confronted by  Brooksville Police and informed that it is against Florida Law to wear a mask in public, Ryan Hawks responded, "You want me to remove the mask, Good luck with that!"

After two warnings about wearing the mask in public, Hawks was taken into custody and charged with wearing a mask in a public way. (Violation of  Fla Statute 876.12).