Over winter break, former ETSU student Tristan Rettke learned he faces additional charges after a court hearing on Dec. 19.

After hearing testimony from several witnesses, prosecutors asked a Washington County judge to add disorderly conduct and inciting a riot to the warrant.

Rettke was arrested by ETSU campus police for civil rights intimidation in September 2016 after attending a student-led Black Lives Matter demonstration in Borchuck Plaza wearing a gorilla mask and overalls and holding a “Lives Matter” sign. He was arrested after confronting protestors and dangling bananas in front of their faces by a rope.

Rettke’s lawyer Patrick Denton said that his client was exercising his freedom of speech and did not intimidate anyone.

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  • Jordan Hensley

    Jordan Hensley is a senior journalism major with a minor in creative writing. In addition to her work at the East Tennessean as the 2016 News Editor, she serves as an Admissions Ambassador and Diversity Educator. If you don’t see her jamming out at a concert, you’re sure to hear her listening to her favorite artists, Taylor Swift or The 1975.

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