updated info post-publishing: We’ve now confirmed that Vinlanders Social Club probate and Southern Sons member “Crassy” is Ryan Anthony Gower. Gower is from South Carolina and currently resides in Bradenton, Florida, where he was also arrested on January 21, 2026.
update jan 28 ’26: Alexander Robert Hare is a student at Appalachian State University; see below for action item.
Background: In October, 2025, several members of Southern Sons and Firm 22, by then support crews for the white supremacist Vinlanders Social Club, went to a pro-Palestine rally in Charlotte, North Carolina. Neo-Nazis David Pagava and Ethan Bruce Purcell were arrested and charged that day with bringing weapons to a protest, which is against the law in North Carolina, and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, “J.D.,” who was also charged. An affidavit from a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer in Purcell’s case file states that the three individuals were seen walking into the crowd of protesters, and that Purcell was attempting to provoke people inside the demonstration.
CMPD seized and subsequently subpoenaed the three neo-Nazis’ phones, through which they discovered a wider network and an alleged white supremacist criminal conspiracy from September, 13, 2025. On January 20, 2026, CMPD filed related charges including felony conspiracy, burning personal property, larceny, soliciting gang activity, and more counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.
White supremacist “gang” members arrested and charged as a result include:
- Ethan Bruce Purcell (Monroe, NC)
- David Pagava (Concord, NC)
- Juvenile “J.D.”
- Tristan Alexander Somerson (Concord and Mooresville, NC)
- Joseph “Joey” Keaton Webb (Statesville, NC)
- Alexander Robert Hare (Charlotte, NC)
- Martin Blaine Harvey (Blythewood, SC)
- Ryan Anthony Gower (Swansea, SC and Bradentont, FL)
- Southern Sons co-founder David Fair (Blythewood, SC)
Because of their enrollment at local colleges and their aggressively violent racist rhetoric and organizing, we are providing some abbreviated information about David Pagava and Tristan Somerson in this immediate release.
Southern Sons/Vinlanders Social Club/Firm 22
Southern Sons have been reported on extensively by Atlanta Antifascists, Jordan Green at Raw Story, and others. Over the past year, Southern Sons dropped “Active Club” from their name and “expanded” by absorbing themselves into the Vinlanders Social Club and the longtime VSC support crew, Firm 22. In May, some of these neo-Nazis once again went to Dixie Fest in in Travelers Rest, SC. VSC posted pictures on their social media, referencing a newly-hyphenated “Firm 22-Southern Sons.”
On September 23, 2025, Southern Sons posted a video compilation to their social media and stated, “The Southern Sons has moved to invite only. To get involved with your local fraternity reach out at [redacted website for Vinlanders Social Club].” By this time, Southern Sons members were regularly repping Firm 22 and traveling across the country to meet up with each other. Some, including Tristan Somerson, have become patched VSC probates.
One might wonder: what was in the video Southern Sons posted to Telegram ten days after they allegedly conspired to commit crimes in the furtherance of their white supremacist group ideology? If you pay attention to nazi chuddery, you’ll be less than shocked to find out: The video compilation posted with this announcement on September 23, 2025, includes evidence of the alleged crimes with which these neo-Nazis are now charged.
Tristan Somerson and David Pagava – October 2025-January 2026
On January 20, 2026, Tristan Somerson and David Pagava were each charged with several felony and misdemeanor offenses, stemming from an alleged September 13 criminal conspiracy that took place in Charlotte and Huntersville, NC. Together with Webb, Purcell, Harvey, Hare, and the juvenile J.D., they are alleged to have desecrated the grave site of a Jewish person in Huntersville, with Pagava yelling, “White fucking Power!” while doing a Sieg heil (Nazi) salute. At another grave site, Pagava gave a speech supporting the gang’s white supremacy ideology, after which the group, allegedly including Tristan Somerson, did another Nazi salute call and response. Sounds familiar.
The affidavit then references a video allegedly recorded later that night, in which Webb drove a pickup truck while Pagava, Purcell, and the juvenile rode in the open back truck bed. Pagava allegedly directed other members of the group–including the juvenile J.D.–to steal a Pride flag from a church in Charlotte. Sounds familiar.
They then reportedly brought the flag back to Hare’s parents’ home, also in Charlotte, “where Somerson and Purcell each held one side of the stolen pride flag and placed it in a bonfire,” after Harvey allegedly “gave a hate speech towards the LGBTQ community and Jewish people.”
It all sounds so familiar.
A third video referenced in the affidavit was allegedly taken around midnight the same night. In that video, Somerson is said to be wearing a black shirt with a Vinlanders Social Club Probate patch. Holding a book by the bonfire, Somerson is alleged to have made the following statement:
“The straight man, made by an anarchist Jew. What he doesn’t realise (sic) though is the white mans (sic) coming back, and we’re going to kill every last single n**ger. White power.” —TRISTAN SOMERSON
According to the affidavit, he then dropped the book in the fire.
While they edited out a bit of this language before posting it to social media and I have removed the audio entirely, I do have to tell you: it sounds familiar.
Tristan Somerson
Tristan Alexander Somerson is a student at Mount Mitchell Community College and lives in Mooresville, Iridell County, NC. In 2022 he was spreading his love for Jesus as user Havoc82nd on TikTok; in 2025, he used the same name, along with “Toten Tristan,” on an account following and signalling his allegiance to a white supremacist social club full of neo-Nazis.
Somerson has deleted much of his social media, but our earlier documentation reflects that he’s been gaming and active in competitive paintball for several years. Fucking gaming again. I’ve been writing for two days, and feds murdered another person in Minneapolis, and I’m tired, and I’m not a journalist, so I can just say fucking gaming again. And also, more importantly, fuck ice.
Tristan Somerson’s bond was initially set at $70,000, and his charges include:
- soliciting gang activity (class H felony)
- felony conspiracy (class C felony)
- burning personal property (class C felony)
- contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile (misdemeanor)
- larceny (misdemeanor)
Somerson posted a reduced $30,000 bond and was released from Mecklenburg County Jail on January 22, 2026. He is scheduled to appear in Mecklenburg County court on February 11, 2026.
David Pagava
David Pagava is a student at UNC Charlotte. He lives in Concord, Cabarrus County, NC. Online, Pagava has joined or been associated with multiple white supremacist organizations, including at least one transnational one, and has a large collection of usernames that someone else can write about sometime. Pagava is most commonly known online as “Dato,” threatens people with–and jokes about–rape on X, and is obsessed with his Georgian heritage.
In addition to facing charges associated with bringing brass knuckles to the pro-Palestine protest in October, 2025, Pagava is now charged with the following crimes allegedly committed in September 2025:
- soliciting gang activity (class H felony)
- felony conspiracy (class C felony)
- misdemeanor conspiracy
- disturbing a casket/grave marker (class I felony).
Pagava’s bond was initially set at $125,000. He posted a reduced $75,000 bond and was released from Mecklenburg County Jail on January 22, 2026. Pagava is also scheduled to appear in Mecklenburg County court on February 11, 2026.
Other neo-Nazi facing charges:
Ethan Bruce Purcell was arrested in Mecklenburg County, NC, on January 21, 2026 and bonded out on January 23, 2026.
Joseph Keaton Webb was also arrested in Mecklenburg County, NC, on January 21, 2026 and bonded out on January 23, 2026.
Alexander Robert Hare was arrested and posted bond in Mecklenburg County, NC, on January 21, 2026.
David William Fair was detained in Richland County, South Carolina, on January 21, 2026.
Martin Blaine Harvey was detained in Richland County, South Carolina, on January 21, 2026.
Ryan Anthony Grower was detained in Manatee County, Florida, on January 21, 2026.
The next court appearance is in Mecklenburg County on February 11, 2026 at 1:30 pm.
Those arrested in other states appear to be in various stages of transit/extradition.
Action Items
Please help us spread the word about Pagava and Somerson, especially in the Mooresville, Charlotte, and Concord areas. If you or someone you know is involved in competitive paintball, we recommend making sure this information circulates there.
Jan 28 update: Please also contact Appalachian State University to let them know neo-Nazi Alexander Hare does not belong on their campus. You can contact their office of the Dean of Students at 828-262-8284 or dos@appstate.edu.
You can contact the office of the Dean of Students at UNC Charlotte at 704-687-0345, or deanofstudents@charlotte.edu. You can contact the office of the President at Mount Mitchell Community College at 704-878-3205, or email Dr. Tim Brewer, President, at tbrewer@mitchellcc.edu.
Tristan Somerson quoted the book of Proverbs in one of his 2022 TikTok videos: “People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.” As always, we encourage Tristan, David, and the rest of these men and boys to reconsider the foolishness that has gotten them in this mess. There’s a better life out there, lads.