A judge in South Carolina has granted bond to a widely known white nationalist facing domestic violence charges after he reportedly sought bail due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, according to court records and a report by The Daily Beast.
Augustus Invictus was reportedly a speaker at the infamous 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where 32-year-old counter-protester Heather Heyer was run over and killed by 20-year-old Nazi sympathizer James Alex Fields Jr.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has a profile on Invictus which says he ran for Senate in the Florida Libertarian Party primary in 2016, when it came to light that he slaughtered a goat and drank its blood as part of a pagan ritual in 2013.
Invictus had no prior criminal record before he was charged in December with kidnapping, violent aggravated domestic violence and use of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
But the most serious charge of kidnapping has since been thrown out due to a finding of no probable cause.
Bond was initially denied at a Jan. 28 hearing, and that ruling was upheld at a second hearing Feb 14, after his wife said she feared for her life. But then on Feb. 19, Invictus presented “evidence of material change in circumstances” and motioned for the court to reconsider.
At a bond hearing last Friday, prosecutors said Invictus had been publishing information online from jail, the Beast reported. A public defender, who said he asked for the hearing due to coronavirus concerns at York County Jail, said Invictus had been updating his “alt-right news site” from jail.
Judge Daniel Hall then granted the $10,000 bond on the remaining charges on the condition that Invictus immediately leave York County, saying he could only return for court proceedings and to meet with his attorneys.
The judge also ordered Invictus to have no contact with his wife and to also avoid visiting Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
Notably, the conditions of the bond do not require ankle monitoring or check-ins with law enforcement, according to reports.
The charges stemmed from a domestic incident Dec. 12, 2019, in Rock Hill, S.C.
Court records say Invictus learned through a third party that his wife was allegedly cheating and returned home to confront her about it. The court document alleges Invictus threatened the victim, “choked her and pointed a firearm at her in order to get her to admit to the allegations.”
The argument soon calmed down after Invictus reportedly called the third party, who provided more clarity on the situation, and the couple, who have two minor children, remained together without incident for another week.
Then on Dec. 20, Invictus and his wife drove in separate cars to Orlando, Florida, for a business opportunity. On the way, they stopped at one of Invictus’ friend’s house in Jacksonville. While there, Invictus went searching for places for the family to move in Orlando.
Seeing an opportunity, his wife called the Jacksonville Police Department to report the Dec. 12 incident. Three days later, she returned to Rock Hill and gave a statement to authorities there.
An arrest warrant was later issued by the Rock Hill Police Department, and Invictus was arrested in Melbourne, Florida. He was brought back to Rock Hill on Jan. 7 to answer to the charges.
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