Kitty Hawk woman arrested, charged with assaulting protester and ‘forcefully grabbing’ his American flag during ‘No Kings’ protest

Participants in the “No Kings” protest in Kitty Hawk line both sides of U.S. Highway 158 the morning of Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. A Kitty Hawk woman, who is not pictured, was arrested for allegedly assaulting a protester, also not pictured, and grabbing his American flag. (Photo courtesy Cyndi Goetcheus Sarfan)

By Corinne Saunders

Editor’s Note: Strong local journalism directly impacts your quality of life. You’re busy, and attempting to stay on top of everything that affects you and your community can be taxing. We are here to stand watch for you, making sure you stay informed about what’s happening in our area, all while providing an advertisement-free, easy-on-the-eyes platform, for less than the cost of a bag of chips a month. Subscribe today.

KITTY HAWK — A Kitty Hawk woman is facing misdemeanor simple assault, attempted larceny and disorderly conduct charges following an arrest for her alleged behavior toward a protester at Saturday’s “No Kings” protest in Kitty Hawk.

Rhonda Kay Cecille Loy, 58, of the 5100 block of N. Virginia Dare Trail in Kitty Hawk, was booked at the Dare County Detention Center in Manteo around 2 p.m. on Saturday and was released around the same time, after posting a $1,500 secured bond, law enforcement and court records show.

Rhonda Loy (Photo courtesy Dare County Sheriff’s Office)

Loy “unlawfully and willfully did assault (name withheld) by grabbing Mr. (name withheld) on his right tricep during scuffle while Ms. Loy attempted to steal his American flag away from his hands,” according to the misdemeanor simple assault charging text in the magistrate’s order.

The misdemeanor attempted larceny charging text said that Loy “did intentionally cause a public disturbance at the shoulder of the road on the north side of [U.S. Highway] 158 near the intersection of Dogwood Trail in Kitty Hawk, NC, by engaging in violent conduct…forcefully grabbing in an attempt to remove a United States flag & pole from the owner’s hands while shouting derogatory/hate words.”

The words were not specified in the charging text.

The misdemeanor disorderly conduct charging text said Loy attempted to “steal, take and carry away” a United States flag on a flagpole, which was the personal property of someone else.

A Kitty Hawk police officer arrested Loy, according to both court records and the Kitty Hawk Police Department spokesperson.

“[At] approximately 11:44 a.m., during the No Kings Protest, Rhonda Loy (58)...stopped at Dogwood & US 158 and assaulted and wrestled an American flag away from a male protester,” Det. Jason A. Rigler said in an email response to Outer Banks Insider.

A clip of a video taken of the incident in Kitty Hawk on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Video courtesy Donna Sills)

A video taken of the incident and shared with Outer Banks Insider shows Loy—wearing a red hat with white lettering reading, “Trump was right” on the front—park her car in the righthand travel lane, yelling at protesters. The video then shows her getting out and forcibly wresting a flag from a man until others come and pull it back from her.

Loy is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, Nov. 21.

As of publication time, Loy’s arrest is the only incident of which Outer Banks Insider is aware taking place at an Outer Banks “No Kings” protest.

Kitty Hawk protest organizers estimated that about 1,300 people attended Saturday’s event, which ran from 10 a.m. to noon. This marked a higher estimated turnout than the nearly 1,000 attendees of the June “No Kings” protest in Nags Head.

The Kitty Hawk event was one of over 2,500 planned “No Kings” peaceful protests across the country on Saturday to protest President Donald Trump’s administration. Another Saturday protest was scheduled in Avon.

“No thrones. No crowns. No kings,” the NoKings.org website states. “The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption and cruelty.”

The Currituck County Democratic Party, Dare County Democratic Party, Indivisible OBX/Stronger NC OBX, Dare County Women Forward, League of Women Voters of Dare County, Democratic Women of Dare, NENC Alliance for Change and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Outer Banks sponsored the Kitty Hawk event, according to the event flyer.

Outer Banks Insider generally does not print the names of alleged victims in criminal cases without obtaining their permission or unless they come forward publicly.

--------

Editor’s Note: Did you appreciate Outer Banks Insider’s ad-free local news? It takes significant time and effort to bring you this service of trustworthy local reporting. Subscribe today at this link to access all our in-depth, exclusive work, and to sustain independent local news in the area you love. News organizations interested in syndicating this or other Outer Banks Insider articles should contact us for details.