WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A 76-year-old man faced a criminal case after deputies accused him of hurting a woman when a “Not My President” protest got heated outside the Trump International Golf Course in Palm Beach County.
Records showed Palm Beach County prosecutors filed a misdemeanor simple battery case against Paul Messer, of Lake Worth Beach, on Monday.
“Messer was holding a flag attached to a metal flagpole ... deputies observed Messer strike the female multiple times in the upper chest and neck area with the metal flagpole,” a deputy wrote. “The victim stumbled backward and sustained visible redness to the right side of her neck.”
A Palm Beach Post journalist captured images on Sunday showing Messer’s flag was displaying expletives in opposition to President Donald Trump and his supporters, and the woman wore a white “47″ baseball cap with Trump’s signature embroidered in gold.
In the photographs, most of the protesters held up signs related to opposition to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s actions under Trump, the U.S. Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and Trump’s policy on Russia.
Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office deputies reported arresting Messer at 1:25 p.m. on Sunday at 3650 Summit Boulevard in West Palm Beach.
Inmate records show corrections booked Messer shortly before 2:40 p.m. on Sunday at the Palm Beach County Main Detention Center, and released him on a $1,000 bond at 7:40 p.m. on Sunday.
Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Frank S. Castor was set to preside over the case. Messer’s arraignment is at 9 a.m. on March 10.
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

