Roxboro Police opened an ethnic intimidation investigation on August 19 after spotting a social media post showing racially charged stickers slapped onto a light pole near a local business. Investigators are now searching for a person of interest and are pursuing possible criminal charges, according to police.
The post that triggered the investigation showed stickers bearing white pride messaging affixed to light poles near businesses in Uptown Roxboro, according to Person County Free Press. As reported by ABC11 News, police have requested information from the public as they try to identify who put the stickers up. Anyone with information can call the department’s tip line at (336) 322-6072, and Roxboro Police can also be reached directly at (336) 599-8345.
What North Carolina Law Says About Ethnic Intimidation
The charge investigators are weighing falls under North Carolina’s ethnic intimidation statute, N.C.G.S. § 14-401.14, which covers assault, property damage or defacement, or threats of either committed because of a person’s race, color, religion, nationality, or country of origin, per the North Carolina General Assembly. As classified by the state, ethnic intimidation is a Class 1 misdemeanor carrying up to 120 days in jail and discretionary fines, according to the UNC School of Government.
North Carolina law also allows for that misdemeanor to be bumped up during sentencing. Under N.C.G.S. § 14-3(c), offenses committed because of a victim’s race, color, religion, or national origin can be enhanced to a Class H felony, per the same statute cited by the North Carolina General Assembly. It’s not yet known whether the Roxboro case would meet the threshold for that enhancement, since a person of interest has not been identified publicly and no charges have been filed.
A Diverse City With a History of Tension
Roxboro is a small city of roughly 8,180 residents, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, with a population that is about 44.8% white, 39.0% Black, and 7.8% Hispanic. The city also has a median household income of $36,553, and roughly 21.2% of families live below the poverty line, per the same Census Bureau data.
The city has weathered other flashpoints involving race and law enforcement in recent years. In July 2020, an officer-involved shooting in Roxboro killed David Brooks Jr., a case that led to a 2022 wrongful death civil lawsuit filed against the City of Roxboro, according to The Courier-Times. That history adds weight to how seriously residents and officials are likely to view a case involving racially charged messaging displayed in public.
Surveillance Tools and State Reporting Requirements
Roxboro Police have some modern investigative tools at their disposal. As of May 2026, the department operated six Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras within city limits, supplementing another ten run by the Person County Sheriff’s Office, according to Person County Free Press. It’s unclear whether that camera network will factor into the search for a person of interest in this case.
Any charges that do emerge will also feed into a broader state tracking system. North Carolina law requires local law enforcement agencies to submit monthly reports on hate crimes and ethnic intimidation cases to the State Bureau of Investigation, per the UNC School of Government. Statewide, the FBI recorded 294 bias-motivated incidents in North Carolina in 2023, with 172 of them involving race, ethnicity, or ancestry bias, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
For now, key details remain unresolved. Roxboro Police have not said whether specific businesses or individuals were deliberately targeted by the stickers, and no person of interest has been named. The department is continuing to ask anyone with information to come forward through its tip line.
