(Ken Silva, Headline USA) A high school student in Charlotte, North Carolina was criminally investigated over a memorial she painted to honor conservative activist Charlie Kirk after he was assassinated on Sept. 10, according to a lawsuit over the matter.
The student, Gabby Stout—she’s only identified by initials in court records but Fox News reported her full name—said in her lawsuit that she obtained permission from Ardrey Kell High School to paint a message on its “spirit rock” in support of Kirk’s and his Christian message. She, her parents, and two fellow students painted the rock with the words “Freedom 1776” and “Live Like Kirk—John 11:25” on Sept. 13.
Within hours, Stout learned that school officials ordered the memorial to be painted over, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Monday in North Carolina federal court with the help of the organization Alliance Defending Freedom.
A Charlotte high school student was criminally investigated for painting a memorial for Charlie Kirk on the school's "spirit rock"
The student is suing over the matter. The school previously allowed pro-BLM messages on the rock, her lawsuit says
H/t to @NumberSixTNP for flagging pic.twitter.com/sumfGHKHsX— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) December 9, 2025
“The next day, [school] officials publicly accused [Stout] of a crime and a student conduct violation (vandalism), contacted law enforcement, and began cooperating with the criminal investigation,” Stout’s lawsuit says.
“The day after that, the Monday (and first school day) after [Stout] painted the spirit rock, [school] officials called her out of class, forced her to write out a statement summarizing her rock-painting efforts, and forced her to edit that statement to include details they believed to be important. And they did this without first advising [Stout] of her constitutional rights in any criminal proceeding, including the right to remain silent and the right to have legal counsel.”
By the end of the week, the school quietly closed its investigation. But the damage had already been done. Along with the distress caused by the prospect of criminal charges, Stout said she felt humiliated and ostracized by other students over the matter.
“Right after these accusations, her best friends, with whom she had been close for years, wanted nothing to do with her and stopped socializing with her. In most of her classes, she sat alone, with fellow students alienating her. As recently as just before Thanksgiving, students have labeled her as the girl that painted the rock,” her lawsuit says.
The lawsuit further notes that other students have been allowed to paint politically charged messages on the school’s spirit rock. In 2020, for example, students painted pro-Black Lives Matter messages on the rock, including the “black power” fist symbol along with the names of George Floyd and other perceived victims of police brutality.
The lawsuit seeks a declaration from the judge that the school violated Stout’s First, Fourth, Fifth and/or 14th Amendment rights, as well as compensatory damages and attorney fees over the matter.
The school has yet to respond. School officials falsely told local media earlier that no criminal investigation had been launched, according to the lawsuit.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
