Police department employee in Mocksville on leave after Facebook post about George Floyd

Published 12:00 am Friday, July 17, 2020

MOCKSVILLE (AP) — An employee at the Mocksville Police Department has been placed on administrative leave following a social media post about George Floyd, officials said Thursday.

Screenshots appeared to show that Christy Wikes-Jones, a police records specialist, shared a Facebook post depicting Floyd portrayed in a drawing holding a gun in his right hand and his left arm wrapped around the neck of a pregnant woman, the Winston-Salem Journal reported.

According to the newspaper, Wikes-Jones shared the post with the comment suggesting Floyd raped the women. Wikes-Jones’ Facebook page could not be found Thursday evening.

The Associated Press reported last month that in August 2007, Floyd, who died May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on the Black man’s neck, was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. Investigators said he and five other men barged into a woman’s apartment and Floyd pushed a pistol into her abdomen before searching for items to steal.

Floyd pleaded guilty in 2009 and was sentenced to five years in prison. Nothing in the report or in court records indicated the woman was pregnant or that she was raped.

The Mocksville Police Department issued a statement regarding the post, saying it did not condone or agree with it, and it would investigate the incident.