Full Proof Gospel Ministries Supporters Charged in Cherryville: Church and State Clash
By: Wise News Network Staff
Cherryville, NC (WNN) — On January 11, 2025, Gaston County Police, Gaston County Sheriff’s Deputies, and Cherryville Police officers responded to a call about a vehicle parked on the side of the road on Baxter Road. The vehicle belonged to two individuals from Catawba County who were volunteering their time in support of a Christian mission. This was with the organization Full Proof Gospel Ministries. While the two were parked, two other members of their group walked with a cross. Gaston County Officer Austin Hildebrand arrived on the scene first to question Carter and Bethany Phillips, leading to them being charged for not providing their identification.
Note: Carter and Bethany Phillips do not serve in any capacity with Full Proof Gospel Ministries, nor are they employed by or under the ministry’s spiritual authority.
Context Leading Up to the Arrest
Carter Phillips explained that their purpose that day was simple: to volunteer their time and support the members on their walk. The vehicle, parked off the main road, didn’t obstruct traffic and wasn’t blocking any surrounding businesses or properties. Phillips and his family had been walking across the country as part of their mission, and similar situations with law enforcement had occurred in rural areas before.
The officers arrived after receiving a call about a suspicious vehicle and approached the Phillips’ vehicle. Carter explained why they were there, but the situation escalated when the officers requested his identification.
“I questioned whether he had a reasonable, articulable suspicion of a crime,” Carter Phillips said. “I asked him if he could cite a law or statute that would legally compel me to give him my license. I told him, ‘I could be wrong, but it’s my understanding of the law that unless you have reasonable suspicion of a crime, you can’t demand my ID.’”
Despite Carter’s request for legal clarification, the officer could not provide a statute or law to justify the demand. Phillips stated the officer became irate and threatened to detain him if he did not provide his ID.
Why Phillips Didn’t Provide His ID
Phillips explained that he didn’t believe the law required him to provide his ID without a valid reason.”The officer didn’t give any legal justification,” Phillips said. “He said he just wanted to document things in case someone called in again about the vehicle. But I asked him to cite the statute that showed I was legally required to provide my ID, and he couldn’t. That’s why I didn’t give it to him.”
He further pointed out that he wasn’t driving the vehicle; he only started it briefly to roll down the window. “I wasn’t driving it. My wife was in the passenger seat, so how could she be ‘operating a motor vehicle’?” Phillips questioned. He emphasized that the officer’s demand for identification seemed unjustified and unwarranted.
The Charge: Obstructing an Officer
District Attorney Travis Page said that the officers charged the Phillips with “Resisting, Delaying, or Obstructing a Public Officer” for refusing to provide their identification.
However, Carter Phillips disagreed with this charge.
“I wasn’t delaying the officer. I was simply asking for legal justification for him demanding my ID,” Phillips explained. “I wanted to protect my rights as an American citizen.”
Phillips also noted that officers never actually asked for his name during the encounter, despite claims from a supervisor on the scene that providing his name could have avoided the arrest. “Not once did they ask for my name. The supervisor later told one of my pastors that if I’d just given my name, they wouldn’t have arrested me. But they never asked for it.”
An even more confusing situation happened when Phillips stated the officer had possession of his ID for approximately 30 minutes before formally charging him. “The officer took my ID from my pocket, held onto it for around 30 minutes, and then charged me with delaying him,” Phillips said.
Full Proof Ministries Responds
Jesse Boyd, president of Full Proof Ministries and Carter Phillips’ father-in-law, emphasized that the group plans to continue protesting until the court drops the charges. “We’ll be out regularly until these ridiculous charges are dropped,” Boyd stated. He shared that he had walked up to the scene with his 14-year-old son while recording the interaction with a body camera for protection. Boyd, who had been walking with the cross as part of the mission, felt the need to document the situation, given his concerns about the way the officers were handling it.
Boyd mentioned the ministry’s past interactions with law enforcement, noting that during their nationwide walks, the group had always peacefully and respectfully interacted with officers. He recalled how, in past incidents, even when the public made concerned calls, law enforcement never demanded ID or detained them. In those cases, Boyd stated they were able to explain their mission and continue on their way without issue.
However, Boyd described the situation in Gaston County as different. “What I do know is that they never refused to hand over an ID,” Boyd explained. “Carter simply questioned whether he was required to do it and asked if the officer could provide the legal basis or statute requiring him to do so. The officer refused, only claiming he had to for documentation purposes in case another call about a suspicious vehicle was placed.” Boyd added that the body camera footage would confirm these exchanges.
Bethany Phillips’ Actions During the Encounter
According to Boyd, His daughter also communicated specific things during the encounter. When Officer Hildebrand demanded her ID, she replied, “Officer, I wasn’t operating a motor vehicle.” Later, when she saw the family approach, she said, “Officer, here comes my dad and my brother. They will confirm why we are out here.” After being handcuffed and left in the cold without her coat, when asked where her ID could be found, she said, “My ID is inside my backpack in the vehicle, but you will have to ask my dad for permission to search his vehicle.” Boyd clarified that she said no more after that, and he called her arrest particularly outrageous.
North Carolina General Statute Section 20-29
North Carolina General Statute Section 20-29 states:
“Any person operating or in charge of a motor vehicle, when requested by an officer in uniform, who shall refuse to surrender his license on demand, shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.”
This statute applies to individuals operating or in charge of a motor vehicle when an officer requests their license.
Background on Baxter Road
There has been back-and-forth regarding whether Baxter Road, where the ministry members were walking, is public or private. Officers on the scene called a property owner who claimed that the dirt road they were on was private, despite Gaston County GIS maps indicating otherwise, as well as a state stop sign, a state street sign, and a state warning sign on the half-mile Baxter Road extension that connects Flint Hill Road with Delview Road.
Jennifer Goodwin, a Communications Officer with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), spoke with Wesley Clary, the county district engineer, to investigate the road’s status. After digging into the matter, they found that Baxter Road is a private road. It was removed from the state system in 2004 and is now considered private.
Notably, there was no gate across the road until after the incident occurred. There are also inconsistencies regarding the road’s status, as Google Maps and GIS maps display incorrect information. The only reliable way to obtain accurate information about the road is directly from the NCDOT.
What Happens Next?
The Phillips will appear in court on March 11, 2025, to face the charges. They continue to advocate for the court to drop the charges, maintaining that no crime occurred and that officers violated their rights. Additionally, they are in the early stages of pursuing civil action.
As of now, our WNN team has yet to receive a response from any of the involved police departments regarding whether any officers present at the scene have been reprimanded for their actions during the incident.
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