Hillsborough, NC A Burlington man was charged late Thursday with violating North Carolina’s pandemic restrictions after Orange County deputies responded to a report from a large New Year’s Eve party in Hillsborough.
A tent was set up outside the Palmers Grove Community Center at 1021 Palmers Grove Church Road, and delegates said there were about 100 people inside.
Jacob Alfred Kurtis Bethea, who hosted the party, christened New Years in the Valley and advertised on social media as “the biggest New Year’s party in the state,” authorities said.
Party attendees purchased tickets online before receiving the address of the event. Deputies found that about ten people were armed with semi-automatic handguns providing security for the party, and one even carried an AR-15 rifle, authorities said.
Bethea, 30, is charged with violating executive orders over restricting mass gathering and running an entertainment facility that is supposed to be closed. Delegates also served him an outstanding Guilford County warrant for violating the limits for the mass rally with an event in September.
He posted on Facebook on Friday night: ‘Man, I made the news last night, yes, I’m locked up because I’m having a party for my people, but I can not care, it’s a new year in which we have fun . ‘
