1 00:00:04,879 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: What's going on. Thank you so much for listening to 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:09,640 this podcast. It is heard live every day from noon 3 00:00:09,679 --> 00:00:12,480 to three on WBT Radio in Charlotte. And if you 4 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:16,719 want exclusive content like invitations to events, the weekly live stream, 5 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:19,239 my daily show prep with all the links, become a patron, 6 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:22,640 go to dpeakclendershow dot com. Make sure you hit the 7 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,160 subscribe button. Get every episode for free right to your 8 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:27,719 smartphone or tablet. And again, thank you so much for 9 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:31,760 your support. So I will start here and update you 10 00:00:31,839 --> 00:00:35,640 throughout the course of the day as we get more information. 11 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:40,679 But there was a plane crash at the Statesville Regional 12 00:00:40,759 --> 00:00:46,799 Airport that's in Iredell County. According to the sheriff, multiple 13 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:52,439 deaths occurred when a Sesna See five point fifty airplane 14 00:00:52,679 --> 00:00:57,079 crashed at around ten to fifteen am, so a little 15 00:00:57,119 --> 00:00:59,679 over an hour and a half ago. It was not 16 00:00:59,719 --> 00:01:02,240 a me imediately known exactly how many people were on 17 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:08,480 board the plane nor who they were. A picture from 18 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:11,239 the airport shows the plane and a massive ball of 19 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:16,920 flames after it crashed. WBTV reports that business record show 20 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:21,560 the plane was affiliated with retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle. 21 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:24,480 It was not clear if he was on the plane 22 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:29,519 when it crashed. According to Well, that's just the city's 23 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:32,719 website and the city owned airports or some details about 24 00:01:32,719 --> 00:01:39,959 the airport there. Assessina C five fifty business jet crashed 25 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:45,159 while landing this morning. This is according to WSOCTV. The 26 00:01:45,239 --> 00:01:49,359 tail number N twenty five seven BW which is owned 27 00:01:49,359 --> 00:01:55,040 by GB Greg Biffel GB Aviation Leasing, which has the 28 00:01:55,079 --> 00:01:59,920 same address as Greg Biffle. Again, we don't know who 29 00:02:00,159 --> 00:02:06,640 was on board the plane. Biffle is a well known 30 00:02:06,719 --> 00:02:10,520 NASCAR driver. He had over five hundred cups starts and 31 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:17,520 nineteen wins, and you may remember he made a lot 32 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:25,680 of headlines. A little over a year ago after Hurricane Helene, 33 00:02:26,159 --> 00:02:30,759 he and a bunch of volunteers got together and began 34 00:02:30,879 --> 00:02:37,319 running emergency relief supply flights to the mountains of western 35 00:02:37,319 --> 00:02:43,960 North Carolina, and more recently, he was running relief efforts 36 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:49,400 down to Jamaica when Hurricane Melissa moved through the area. 37 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:54,800 Biffle is himself a registered pilot AC. According to motorsport 38 00:02:55,080 --> 00:03:00,360 dot Com, he led several daring expeditions by helicopter into 39 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:04,159 the mountains of western North Carolina and East Tennessee following 40 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:09,360 Hurricane Helene aimed, aiming to help stranded people and deliver 41 00:03:09,439 --> 00:03:11,439 aid to those that were cut off from the rest 42 00:03:11,439 --> 00:03:16,639 of the world by the historic floods. There was we 43 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:20,719 saw a report, but I don't have it confirmed that 44 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:23,599 there's going to be some sort of a press conference. 45 00:03:23,599 --> 00:03:27,960 I think it was initially reported that there may it 46 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:31,280 may occur at noon, but obviously that's not happening at 47 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:36,439 this point. If they do hold a news conference and 48 00:03:36,479 --> 00:03:40,039 we were able to grab it, I will I will 49 00:03:40,039 --> 00:03:42,080 bring it to you, you know, live as it occurs. 50 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:54,919 Hang on a second. So that's okay. So now to 51 00:03:56,120 --> 00:04:01,719 Channel nine is now looks like doing some other crash 52 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:06,280 or something. Hang on, hang on, we have the TVs 53 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:12,439 on up here and looking at Channel nine. Oh, they're 54 00:04:12,479 --> 00:04:16,839 talking about an emergency landing at Statesville Airport last year, 55 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:20,399 So okay, So I don't know if they're trying to 56 00:04:20,639 --> 00:04:25,920 fill time before the news conference begins or not. Again, 57 00:04:26,079 --> 00:04:31,600 w BTV reporting that fatalities are confirmed. The area was 58 00:04:32,639 --> 00:04:38,040 very foggy, it still is. Traffic around the airport roads 59 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:41,959 have been blocked, so there we don't know if whether 60 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:45,480 played a factor in the crash or not. But it's 61 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,480 I mean, looking at the the images from you know, 62 00:04:50,519 --> 00:04:55,319 witnesses and people who saw it happened. Uh, it's it's horrific. 63 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:59,439 It's just catastrophic. If anybody walked away, it would be 64 00:04:59,439 --> 00:05:03,439 a miracle. So again, we'll give you more details as 65 00:05:03,439 --> 00:05:07,800 we as we get them. But if you are of 66 00:05:07,839 --> 00:05:12,480 the praying kind, say a prayer for the families and 67 00:05:12,959 --> 00:05:18,279 the victims in this crash. A story that I have 68 00:05:18,399 --> 00:05:23,720 not yet covered, but I've been building sort of my 69 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:28,959 my stack of prep about it is. And it's there's 70 00:05:28,959 --> 00:05:31,600 no reason why I haven't gotten to it. Just accept 71 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:37,040 my poor time management skills. It's been the story of 72 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:47,079 the Sycamore Brewing founder, co founder, Justin Brigham. And when 73 00:05:47,079 --> 00:05:49,519 the story first broke, you know, a couple of days ago, 74 00:05:50,439 --> 00:05:52,959 you know, I've printed out some various reports and I've 75 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:56,839 just kept adding to them as we get more and 76 00:05:56,959 --> 00:06:04,319 more details because the original story, I think led a 77 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:06,759 lot of people to believe and we still don't know 78 00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:14,680 exactly what occurred. When this man, Justin Brigham, who's I 79 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:18,040 want to say, forty four years old or so, yeah, 80 00:06:18,079 --> 00:06:24,720 forty four, he was arrested and charged with breaking and 81 00:06:24,959 --> 00:06:31,160 entering and child rape. And when people hear those two charges, 82 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:37,439 I think it it paints an image of like a 83 00:06:37,519 --> 00:06:43,160 maniac kicking in a door, you know, and assaulting some child. 84 00:06:44,319 --> 00:06:48,439 But as more details have emerged, it seems like he 85 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:53,360 met this girl on Snapchat. She's thirteen years old. She's 86 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:58,040 not been identified due to her age. There's a report 87 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:02,040 also that she had sent him in inappropriate picture on 88 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:11,560 Snapchat and when her parents discovered that he was in 89 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:18,040 her bedroom naked. It seems to me like a fight 90 00:07:18,279 --> 00:07:22,240 ensued of some kind because the other day, when I 91 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:26,720 think a day two days ago, another charge, well, multiple 92 00:07:26,759 --> 00:07:30,399 more charges were thrown at Brigham, and one of the 93 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:37,959 charges included an assault. But the victim in that charge 94 00:07:38,199 --> 00:07:43,079 is a male and shares the same last name as 95 00:07:43,199 --> 00:07:47,639 the victim. And I'm going to put some context clues 96 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:52,079 together here and submit that that's probably the father. So 97 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:58,839 this guy justin Brigham, according to the charge, grabbed the 98 00:07:59,399 --> 00:08:04,839 I believe the father grabbed him by his groin and 99 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:11,480 squeezed and twisted, causing severe pain, which would explain how 100 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:14,959 he was able to escape the house. Right, he assaulted 101 00:08:14,959 --> 00:08:18,680 the dad and then he flees the house. He's completely naked. 102 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:22,040 He gets into his car, which I guess he left unlocked, 103 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:25,319 or maybe it's a fingerprint open door lock or something, 104 00:08:26,199 --> 00:08:29,839 because he fled without any of his clothing. That's what 105 00:08:29,879 --> 00:08:32,600 it seems like. Again, we don't have all these details, 106 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:35,200 but police found him in his car completely naked, which 107 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:37,320 would make sense if he got caught in the act 108 00:08:37,639 --> 00:08:44,600 with the thirteen year old. So this was from wbtv's report. 109 00:08:44,639 --> 00:08:47,320 The Charlotte man accused of raping a teenage girl last 110 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:50,960 week allegedly used the social media app snapchat to contact 111 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:54,559 the girl. According to the Stanley County Sheriff's Office, Justin 112 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:57,600 Brigham the former owner. He's being referred to as that 113 00:08:58,519 --> 00:09:02,080 based on statements from his wife and co owner of 114 00:09:02,159 --> 00:09:11,080 Sycamore Brewing. But confirming that is more difficult because well, 115 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:13,159 there are reasons and the Charlotte Ledger gets into some 116 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:14,600 of this, but and I'm going to get to that, 117 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:19,679 but he's being identified as the former owner of Sycamore Brewing. 118 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:23,120 He was accused of breaking into a home in Stanfield 119 00:09:23,639 --> 00:09:29,039 in Stanley County, outside of Albemarle and raping a thirteen 120 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:32,240 year old girl. So this was what it seems like 121 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:36,279 to me, is that they were talking. This was arranged 122 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:40,039 and because of her age, it's statutory rate because she 123 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:44,799 cannot legally consent because she's only thirteen. The Sheriff's office 124 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:48,519 said that the social media app was Snapchat. Officials also 125 00:09:48,799 --> 00:09:53,000 charged him with more child sex crimes in connection with 126 00:09:53,159 --> 00:09:57,799 the rape. The Stanley County Sheriff's Office announced the following 127 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:01,120 new charges, three counts of statue toy sex offense with 128 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:03,759 a child under the age of fifteen, one count of 129 00:10:03,799 --> 00:10:07,720 second degree sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of 130 00:10:07,759 --> 00:10:11,600 soliciting a child by computer, and one count of assault 131 00:10:11,679 --> 00:10:15,320 inflicting serious bodily injury. And that was the assault that 132 00:10:15,519 --> 00:10:21,879 was on apparently the father. Again, I'm like, this is 133 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:25,200 just my reading sort of between the lines and compiling 134 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:27,600 all the information, like that's what this, that's what it 135 00:10:27,639 --> 00:10:29,440 sounds like. I don't know. Maybe there was somebody else, 136 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:31,840 maybe it was her brother or something that he assaulted. 137 00:10:31,879 --> 00:10:34,159 I don't know. But one of the questions that people 138 00:10:34,279 --> 00:10:37,000 have been asking is like, wait, the parents caught him, 139 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:39,799 how did he make it out of the house? Right, 140 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:42,840 So it seems like there may have been a fight 141 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:48,879 that ensued. I would imagine it's also pretty startling, right, 142 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:51,799 and if you know, maybe jumped out a window or something. 143 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:55,240 So don't know. Now, with the other charges that they 144 00:10:55,279 --> 00:10:59,879 threw at Brigham, I believe now they have revoked his 145 00:11:00,279 --> 00:11:03,159 bond with the addition of the new charges. He was 146 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:05,799 initially given a ten million dollar bond, but he was 147 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:09,159 being held because he couldn't afford it, and so he 148 00:11:09,279 --> 00:11:13,200 was being held in the county jail. And now with 149 00:11:13,279 --> 00:11:16,360 the new charges, I think the last report was that 150 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:23,240 he had his bond completely revoked. So what to make 151 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:28,480 of Sycamore Brewing Now it's kind of a Dickensian name 152 00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:31,360 for all of this story as well. 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Visit creative video 171 00:12:32,399 --> 00:12:35,399 dot com seven oh four five, seven oh one oh 172 00:12:35,399 --> 00:12:38,120 seven nine. That's the call in number. It's also the 173 00:12:38,159 --> 00:12:43,159 text line driven by Liberty Buick GMC. So this is 174 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:48,519 from a listener MacLean who says, uh, the male victim 175 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:53,399 was the girl's older brother. The father died over a 176 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:58,639 month ago, so that's interesting. And then that also, I like, 177 00:13:00,799 --> 00:13:04,720 when did when did this guy Brigham, the Sycamore Brewing 178 00:13:05,159 --> 00:13:08,519 co founder, when did he start communicating with this girl? 179 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:12,000 How long has that been going on? If her father 180 00:13:12,039 --> 00:13:15,840 had recently died, then that that offers a window for 181 00:13:15,960 --> 00:13:21,799 a predator right to take advantage. So this is thank 182 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:23,960 you for the for the information. Like I said, I'm 183 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:27,039 just trying to piece together what limited information is available. 184 00:13:27,639 --> 00:13:32,799 The Stanley County uh Sheriff's Office has not been providing 185 00:13:32,919 --> 00:13:35,600 a lot of details. I'm not and I'm not dragging 186 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:37,200 them for that. I'm just saying they haven't been providing 187 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:40,840 a lot of details about, you know, how they met 188 00:13:40,879 --> 00:13:43,240 and everything else, and so maybe we find out more 189 00:13:43,799 --> 00:13:46,279 as they work through the court system at some point, 190 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:54,519 obviously they have to. Before his arrest, he was listed 191 00:13:54,559 --> 00:13:57,480 as co founder of Sycamore Brewing. According to Business Record, 192 00:13:57,559 --> 00:14:00,440 Sycamore Brewing is the largest brewery in Charlotte in one 193 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:07,919 of the city's most popular spots see and this is see. 194 00:14:07,919 --> 00:14:10,799 Here's the problem is that, according to all of the 195 00:14:10,879 --> 00:14:16,399 reports that I have seen, all of the officials say 196 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:22,559 that the parents found him. That and so like that. 197 00:14:22,679 --> 00:14:27,559 I don't understand her. If this girl's father had passed 198 00:14:27,559 --> 00:14:30,519 away a month ago, I'm not sure why this information 199 00:14:30,639 --> 00:14:33,960 would be in the official narrative coming out of the 200 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:36,799 sheriff's office. Sounds like they would know if there were 201 00:14:36,799 --> 00:14:40,360 two parents there, right, and if there weren't two parents, 202 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:45,200 they would say the mother found them. But this was 203 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:52,440 the initial reporting, and it's remained consistent that they found 204 00:14:52,519 --> 00:14:55,679 him the parent. The victim's parents found Brigham in their 205 00:14:55,799 --> 00:15:00,559 daughter's bedroom. Brigham was ultimately found completely undress in a 206 00:15:00,639 --> 00:15:04,480 vehicle near the victim's home, which I assume is his vehicle, 207 00:15:04,519 --> 00:15:08,440 But that's just an assumption. I don't know, again, limited information. 208 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:14,840 I'm assuming he rented a car or drove his own 209 00:15:14,879 --> 00:15:18,879 car parked somewhere, maybe not on the property, but maybe 210 00:15:18,919 --> 00:15:24,120 nearby in order to you know, have this rendezvous with 211 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:27,679 the girl that I'm assuming he had lined up outside 212 00:15:27,679 --> 00:15:32,240 obviously of the parent's knowledge. The breaking and entering people 213 00:15:32,279 --> 00:15:37,519 think that that that requires some sort of you know, 214 00:15:37,559 --> 00:15:40,840 like kicking in a door or busting out a window. 215 00:15:41,919 --> 00:15:46,080 It does not necessarily mean that though, like I've heard 216 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:49,960 people refer to it with the breaking is breaking the threshold. 217 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:54,279 If you open a door that's closed, that could be 218 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:57,320 considered breaking and entering and stuff. So again, like the 219 00:15:57,639 --> 00:16:00,799 nature of the charges paint a pick sure of something 220 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:03,000 that might not actually be the case. It might be 221 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:05,440 I don't know. I'm just these are the questions that 222 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:07,960 I have that I would be asking at these press conferences. 223 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:11,679 How did he gain entry? Like start like I start 224 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:18,879 with basic fundamental questions, simple questions whose car was he driving, 225 00:16:19,799 --> 00:16:22,360 whose car did you find him in? Stuff like that, 226 00:16:22,879 --> 00:16:29,360 How did he gain entry into the house? Were both 227 00:16:29,399 --> 00:16:32,480 parents there that found him? Were there any other people 228 00:16:32,519 --> 00:16:36,720 in the home at the time. Right, So he was 229 00:16:36,759 --> 00:16:41,080 initially held on a ten million dollar bond and banned 230 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:44,720 from social media. Now after this story. So this story 231 00:16:44,759 --> 00:16:52,000 broke about what five days ago, and the initial statement 232 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:57,480 that came from Sycamore Brewing they posted it on their Instagram. 233 00:16:57,519 --> 00:17:00,360 Nobody from the brewery has done any interview, is they 234 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:02,360 have and give a press conference that they're not talking 235 00:17:02,399 --> 00:17:07,920 and like, look, I cannot imagine what this guy with 236 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:13,720 the attackers family has to be going through, right, I mean, like, 237 00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:17,559 I'm very sympathetic here to the wife who you find 238 00:17:17,559 --> 00:17:22,880 out that your husband did what right, and now you 239 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:28,799 are in the midst of complete wreckage of your your family, right, 240 00:17:28,839 --> 00:17:32,480 the life that you have built, your business, one hundred 241 00:17:32,519 --> 00:17:38,480 and twenty employees that are relying on you for their paychecks, 242 00:17:38,519 --> 00:17:42,400 all of the fans and customers that loved the brewery 243 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:46,200 and the beer that they made, and all of it 244 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:53,920 just detonated overnight. So how do you respond to something 245 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:56,240 like this. There's no there's no rule book. You know, 246 00:17:57,319 --> 00:18:00,720 I'm not aware of you know of of a guide 247 00:18:01,039 --> 00:18:03,920 on how to get through something like this. But Sycamore 248 00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:06,960 Brewing put out a response, and it said that it 249 00:18:07,039 --> 00:18:09,680 was divesting, that he was going to divest all of 250 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:14,640 his interests and will have no further involvement with the company. 251 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:20,039 His wife, Sarah Taylor, said in the statement that she's 252 00:18:20,079 --> 00:18:23,039 taking full leadership of the company, effective immediately, and she 253 00:18:23,119 --> 00:18:26,039 is quote devastated by the charges against Justin and the 254 00:18:26,079 --> 00:18:31,519 pain this has inflicted on our family and others. 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In the immediate aftermath of the 280 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:05,799 arrests of the co founder of Sycamore Brewing, largest brewery 281 00:20:05,799 --> 00:20:11,119 in Charlotte, on charges of child rape, he drove out 282 00:20:11,359 --> 00:20:17,839 to Stanfield near Albemarle and apparently set up a meeting 283 00:20:17,839 --> 00:20:21,200 and was talking to a thirteen year old girl on Snapchat. 284 00:20:22,119 --> 00:20:25,880 Reports were that her parents came in and caught him 285 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:30,319 in the child's bedroom. Apparently a fight ensued. He's also 286 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:34,480 charged with assaulting some other male in the house. They 287 00:20:34,519 --> 00:20:38,160 added that charge along with a couple of others, and 288 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:42,720 so they put out a statement in the immediate aftermath 289 00:20:42,839 --> 00:20:47,559 of the arrest. Sycamore Brewing did and I read to 290 00:20:47,599 --> 00:20:49,559 you that statement before the. 291 00:20:49,519 --> 00:20:58,240 Speaker 1: Break that apparently is part of the reason why an 292 00:20:58,319 --> 00:21:03,920 event that was scheduled for tonight. I believe where Sycamore 293 00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:09,119 Brewing is located. It's called the Line Building. It's it's 294 00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:12,200 in South End, it's on the light rail line. And 295 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:15,839 they had some big event tonight, like a little pop 296 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:20,480 up market deal, and it got canceled. This is from WSOCTV. 297 00:21:20,559 --> 00:21:23,599 The fallout continues for Sycamore Brewing, as a Charlotte small 298 00:21:23,599 --> 00:21:27,880 business owner canceled a planned holiday event, citing concerns about 299 00:21:28,079 --> 00:21:31,680 holding a celebration in the wake of child sex crime 300 00:21:31,759 --> 00:21:36,359 charges against the breweries. Co founder Lydia Warns said she 301 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:39,119 understands that the actions of one man don't represent the 302 00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:43,640 entire company. However, she doesn't feel comfortable holding an event 303 00:21:43,759 --> 00:21:46,920 about peace and love in the holiday season in light 304 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:51,160 of the recent charges against the breweries co founder Justin Brigham. 305 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:56,519 Warrens organizes pop up markets around Charlotte through her company 306 00:21:56,759 --> 00:22:01,799 Makers Market CLT. Earlier this week, she canceled the holiday 307 00:22:01,839 --> 00:22:07,400 market scheduled for today tonight at the Line Building in 308 00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:09,920 South End, which would have highlighted her vendors and other 309 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:13,599 businesses that operate in the same building as Sycamore Brewing. 310 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:16,160 She says, I was under the impression that they were 311 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:19,720 going to try to open and sell beer, I guess 312 00:22:19,799 --> 00:22:24,000 during her event, and she said it was an immediate 313 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:28,720 no in my head. I can't, she said, you know, 314 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:33,240 as for Brigham's wife, who's the other co owner of 315 00:22:33,319 --> 00:22:37,640 the brewery, she said, I feel for her. She's going 316 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:45,240 through something. I don't think there's a guidebook for that's true, 317 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:49,640 But she also said that she was she did not 318 00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:54,559 She did not like the statement that came out from 319 00:22:54,559 --> 00:22:59,400 Sycamore Brewing. She said, even the initial press release they did, 320 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:01,599 I think is what set my mind to be like, Okay, 321 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:04,759 we're done, because it felt like it wasn't about the community, 322 00:23:04,839 --> 00:23:07,839 it wasn't about the victim. It felt a little to 323 00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:15,559 me a little selfish again. No guidebook here. Channel nine 324 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:18,519 learned that several Charlotte bars have been unable to order 325 00:23:18,559 --> 00:23:22,240 Sycamore products all week through Adams Distributing, one of the 326 00:23:22,279 --> 00:23:25,799 distributors of the beers. It's one of the biggest distributors 327 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:32,240 in the Charlotte area. They did not respond to requests 328 00:23:32,279 --> 00:23:37,200 for comments from Channel nine. Comer Distributing also stopped selling 329 00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:40,920 Sycamore beers. They said, our responsibility goes beyond the products 330 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,640 we sell. Even though the vile person responsible has not 331 00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:47,000 been involved in the day to day operations of the 332 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:52,119 brewery for a couple years. He resided outside the US 333 00:23:52,240 --> 00:24:00,240 prior to this happening. What that's new information that he 334 00:24:00,279 --> 00:24:03,240 hasn't even been involved in the company for years and 335 00:24:03,559 --> 00:24:09,079 he doesn't live in America anymore? Curious? All right, if 336 00:24:09,079 --> 00:24:10,839 you're listening to this show, you know I try to 337 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:12,720 keep up with all sorts of current events, and I 338 00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:14,920 know you do too. And you've probably heard me say 339 00:24:15,079 --> 00:24:19,119 get your news from multiple sources. Why. Well, because it's 340 00:24:19,119 --> 00:24:21,839 how you detect media bias, which is why I've been 341 00:24:21,839 --> 00:24:25,440 so impressed with ground News. It's an app and it's 342 00:24:25,519 --> 00:24:28,400 a website, and it combines news from around the world 343 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:31,839 in one place so you can compare coverage and verify information. 344 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:35,440 You can check it out at check dot ground, dot 345 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:38,599 news slash pete. I put the link in the podcast 346 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:41,599 description too. I started using ground News a few months 347 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:44,240 ago and more recently chose to work with them as 348 00:24:44,279 --> 00:24:47,480 an affiliate because it lets me see clearly how stories 349 00:24:47,519 --> 00:24:50,720 get covered and by whom. The blind spot feature shows 350 00:24:50,799 --> 00:24:53,640 you which stories get ignored by the left and the right. 351 00:24:53,799 --> 00:24:58,480 See for yourself check dot ground, dot news slash pete. 352 00:24:58,599 --> 00:25:01,279 Subscribe through that link and you'll get fifteen percent off 353 00:25:01,279 --> 00:25:04,559 any subscription. I use the Vantage plan to get unlimited 354 00:25:04,599 --> 00:25:07,880 access to every feature. Your subscription then not only helps 355 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:10,720 my podcast, but it also supports ground News as they 356 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:15,799 make the media landscape more transparent. Sycamore Brewing released a 357 00:25:15,839 --> 00:25:22,079 second statement. They did this on Saturday, and it says 358 00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:24,359 we wanted to speak directly to our friends and the 359 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:27,880 community about events from the past few days. On Thursday, 360 00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:31,720 our co founder and former owner, Justin Brigham was charged 361 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:34,200 by the Stanley County Sheriff's Office with statutory rape of 362 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:37,599 a child, first degree burglary, and indecent liberties with a child. 363 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:42,279 These charges are horrifying and Justin's acts are despicable. We 364 00:25:42,359 --> 00:25:45,240 are heartbroken for the victim. No person should have to 365 00:25:45,319 --> 00:25:48,039 endure what she did. We realize that words cannot fix 366 00:25:48,079 --> 00:25:49,960 what has been done, but want everyone to know that 367 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:53,680 our hearts are completely broken for her. These are unforgivable actions. 368 00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:57,039 Justin made horrible decisions, and now he must deal with 369 00:25:57,079 --> 00:26:01,240 the consequences. We hope that justice is rapid and allows 370 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:03,559 for the victim and her family to begin the healing process. 371 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:07,839 When we first learned of Justin's arrest on Thursday, Sarah Taylor, 372 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:11,440 co founder and owner put Out and wife put out 373 00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:14,720 a short statement. This statement came from a devastated wife 374 00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:17,200 and a mother trying to make sense of something unthinkable. 375 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:20,839 Released shortly after learning of the news, the statement tried 376 00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:23,599 to provide information and share that Justin was no longer 377 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:27,839 an owner or manager of Sycamore. Sarah is navigating an 378 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:30,720 unknown path, trying to find footing as a mother and 379 00:26:30,759 --> 00:26:32,839 as the owner of a business with deep ties to 380 00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:37,279 our community. Amid the shock and devastation, she is focusing 381 00:26:37,279 --> 00:26:39,960 on her duties to both a shattered household and a 382 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:44,559 shattered community to bring both through this situation. Endless people 383 00:26:44,599 --> 00:26:48,720 have been impacted by Justin's actions. Our Sycamore staff have 384 00:26:48,839 --> 00:26:53,839 been has been steadfast, working tirelessly amidst the chaos and uncertainty. 385 00:26:54,319 --> 00:26:56,319 We will get through this, and this family has each 386 00:26:56,319 --> 00:27:00,920 other's backs for our community, friends, customers, neighbors. We realize 387 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:04,079 trust has been violated. We know you are angry. We 388 00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:07,160 are angry too, and still learning and processing the full 389 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:10,319 scope of what happened. While there is a legal process unfolding. 390 00:27:10,319 --> 00:27:12,359 We want to be as transparent with you about how 391 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:15,599 deeply we share your outrage and sorrow. To be clear, 392 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:20,319 Sycamore will not assist in Justin's defense. We trust that 393 00:27:20,359 --> 00:27:23,200 the legal system will hold Justin fully accountable for what 394 00:27:23,279 --> 00:27:25,960 he has done. This is about doing right by all 395 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:28,359 of those who have been affected by this, first and 396 00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:31,440 foremost by the victim and er family, but also by 397 00:27:31,599 --> 00:27:34,079 Sarah and her daughter, and by the innocent people whose 398 00:27:34,079 --> 00:27:39,720 livelihoods depend on Sycamore. Much better statement, a little bit 399 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:42,240 of an explanation as to why the first statement was 400 00:27:42,279 --> 00:27:50,240 so terse, which makes sense to me. But here's the problem. 401 00:27:50,279 --> 00:27:55,319 Not only have bars been dumping out this beer right 402 00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:58,640 there's and look, there is a whole bunch of performance 403 00:27:58,839 --> 00:28:01,519 going on with people doing this for you know, their 404 00:28:01,599 --> 00:28:07,279 social media posts and stuff. I get that distributors are 405 00:28:07,319 --> 00:28:12,240 you know, taking it off their off their inventory list. 406 00:28:14,279 --> 00:28:18,000 You've got restaurants, you've got grocery stores. People are pulling 407 00:28:18,039 --> 00:28:22,960 the beer. The problem is that the brand is now toxic. 408 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:30,519 It just is people don't want to be seen drinking 409 00:28:30,599 --> 00:28:35,160 your beer because it sends a message, even if it's 410 00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:39,359 stupid and it's you know, if this guy, uh Brigham 411 00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:43,079 wasn't even involved in day to day operations and he was. 412 00:28:43,119 --> 00:28:45,319 I got a text that they apparently owned a house 413 00:28:45,359 --> 00:28:48,200 in Bermuda, which is apparently where they met. I think 414 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:54,440 she is originally from Bermuda. I think that's what I 415 00:28:54,559 --> 00:29:01,920 read in Yeah. In twenty seventeen podcast, Sarah Taylor Brigham 416 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:04,640 reflected on how they met. She was working during a 417 00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:08,240 college summer as a jet ski tour guide in Bermuda, 418 00:29:08,359 --> 00:29:12,519 where she is from, and one day spy Justin, a 419 00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:16,920 Charlotte Latin grad who attended the University of Colorado who 420 00:29:17,119 --> 00:29:19,599 was working on a tour boat. They struck up a 421 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:23,240 conversation and then they eventually got married, moved to Charlotte 422 00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:26,680 to pursue their dream together. They named the business Sycamore, 423 00:29:26,839 --> 00:29:30,240 after the sycamore tree, which is prevalent throughout the state 424 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:36,359 and is long living, something that the brewery hopes it 425 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:41,400 will emulate. That was according to an article in Charlotte 426 00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:45,519 Magazine back in twenty thirteen. That's why they named it Sycamore. 427 00:29:46,279 --> 00:29:53,039 It's prevalent throughout the state and it is long living. Unfortunately, 428 00:29:53,119 --> 00:29:55,559 I don't think this brand is going to be long living. 429 00:29:57,359 --> 00:30:01,039 I see reports from various media outlets, but also you 430 00:30:01,079 --> 00:30:04,440 know people going on their social media accounts and they, 431 00:30:04,599 --> 00:30:07,240 you know, walk by the brewery and they shoot video 432 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:11,319 and show how like nobody's there. It is a massive 433 00:30:11,359 --> 00:30:16,119 brewery right in the heart of South End, and no 434 00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:20,559 one's going to it because the brand is toxic. They 435 00:30:20,599 --> 00:30:23,400 don't want their they don't want to be seen holding 436 00:30:24,359 --> 00:30:29,160 a can with the Sycamore name on it, and they 437 00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:33,599 don't want their money to be used to support this 438 00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:39,920 guy justin Brigham and trying to unwind business ownership. Unless 439 00:30:40,079 --> 00:30:44,319 Brigham just signs it all away and says, yes, I'm 440 00:30:44,359 --> 00:30:46,279 going to give up all of my shares, I'm going 441 00:30:46,319 --> 00:30:49,359 to give up everything. I'm divesting and I will receive 442 00:30:49,519 --> 00:30:52,680 no revenue whatsoever from this company that I built, which, oh, 443 00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:54,319 by the way, could come in handy as I try 444 00:30:54,359 --> 00:30:57,640 to hire a defense attorney. Do you think he's going 445 00:30:57,720 --> 00:31:01,359 to do that? I don't now. I don't know what 446 00:31:01,559 --> 00:31:07,319 their contracts look like. Usually there's some moral turpitude kind 447 00:31:07,319 --> 00:31:10,240 of clause in a contract. If you do something to 448 00:31:10,359 --> 00:31:14,759 bring ill repute to the company, they can several ties 449 00:31:14,799 --> 00:31:16,799 and you lose a lot of your benefits and stuff. 450 00:31:17,599 --> 00:31:19,720 But I don't know what those contracts say. Nobody does. 451 00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:22,880 And even so that's going to take some time to 452 00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:27,160 go through. And if he starts fighting that because he 453 00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:31,279 needs a revenue source to pay for his defense, then 454 00:31:31,599 --> 00:31:34,400 you can't say that if you go buy some beer 455 00:31:34,440 --> 00:31:36,920 at Sycamore, that it's not going to go help him 456 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:39,519 in some way because you don't know. This is the problem. 457 00:31:39,839 --> 00:31:43,359 This is the problem. Is it punishing the wife and 458 00:31:43,440 --> 00:31:46,400 the one hundred and twenty or so employees of Sycamore? 459 00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:54,640 It is? It is like and that that really stinks. 460 00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:58,160 As far as I know, she had no knowledge of 461 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:01,759 this was going on anything like this as far as 462 00:32:01,759 --> 00:32:06,319 I know, and she's a victim in this as well, 463 00:32:06,359 --> 00:32:10,720 as is their daughter, as are the employees they were all. 464 00:32:10,759 --> 00:32:15,400 I mean, the blast zone from this guy is immense, 465 00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:22,039 and it's said all around, all around. But I don't 466 00:32:22,039 --> 00:32:23,839 see any other way out of this unless they sell 467 00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:26,400 it and rebrand it. I really don't, and I know 468 00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:29,559 that stinks, but I don't know any other way out 469 00:32:29,599 --> 00:32:34,240 for a company that's been impacted like this. All right, 470 00:32:34,240 --> 00:32:36,599 that'll do it for this episode. Thank you so much 471 00:32:36,640 --> 00:32:38,680 for listening. I could not do the show without your 472 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:41,480 support and the support of the businesses that advertise on 473 00:32:41,519 --> 00:32:44,319 the podcast, so if you'd like, please support them too 474 00:32:44,359 --> 00:32:46,039 and tell them you heard it here. You can also 475 00:32:46,079 --> 00:32:48,640 become a patron at my Patreon page or go to 476 00:32:48,799 --> 00:32:52,519 thepetecallanershow dot com. Again, thank you so much for listening, 477 00:32:52,599 --> 00:33:01,680 and don't break anything while I'm gone.