Lucian Wintrich, White House correspondent for the right-wing blog Gateway Pundit, smokes a cigarette while looking at his phone near Rockville Superior Court in Vernon, Conn., Monday, Dec. 11, 2017.... (Associated Press) 
 
 Lucian Wintrich, White House correspondent for the right-wing blog Gateway Pundit, smokes a cigarette while looking at his phone near Rockville Superior Court in Vernon, Conn., Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Charges of breach of peace against Wintrich were dropped stemming from a Nov 28 incident at the University... (Associated Press) 
 
 STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped a breach of peace charge filed against a conservative commentator over a confrontation he had with protesters at the University of Connecticut as he prepared to give a speech titled "It's OK To Be White." 
 
 Lucian Wintrich, the White House correspondent for the right-wing website Gateway Pundit, was charged after grabbing a woman who took his notes from the lectern last month. 
 
 Wintrich, who had argued he had every right to retrieve his property, said outside the courthouse Monday that he was pleased "the system corrected itself." 
 
 "We don't want to create a precedent that people can walk up to speeches they find disagreeable and steal them," he said. "I mean that's really not what America is about." 
 
 The woman, Catherine Gregory, of Willimantic, turned herself in on Sunday to face charges of attempted larceny and disorderly conduct. She did not immediately return phone and email messages seeking comment. Gregory, who is free on a $1,000 bond, is due in court on Wednesday. 
 
 Wintrich's attorney, Norm Pattis, said Gregory and UConn would hear from him soon. 
 
 "Free speech matters," he said. "It's OK to be white, black, brown or anything in between. My client came to Connecticut and was treated like a criminal for no reason." ||||| UConn police have charged a Quinebaug Valley Community College adviser with attempted theft and disorderly conduct after Lucian Wintrich’s contentious speaking engagement late last month. The case against Wintrich was dropped. 
 
 Catherine Gregory, 33, of Willimantic, turned herself in Sunday after learning police had obtained a warrant charging her with attempted sixth-degree larceny and disorderly conduct following the Nov. 28 incident. 
 
 She is accused of stealing Wintrich’s speech from the lectern during his engagement last month at UConn. An ensuing scuffle led to charges for Wintrich, a conservative commentator. An attorney for Gregory said she took the speech as a form of protest. 
 
 “Ms Gregory reaction was measured and understandable compared other people’s reaction in light of Wintrich’s apparent goal of inciting a violent response,” said Attorney Jon Schoenhorn, who is representing Gregory. “That, of course, would not be covered by the first amendment.” 
 
 In an arrest warrant affidavit, UConn police investigators describe Gregory approaching the lectern where Wintrich was speaking before the alleged theft occurred. 
 
 At 8:51 p.m., she turned to her left and is holding, with her right hand, what appeared to be paper or papers “taken from the lectern,” police said. She turned her back to the lectern, folded the paper or papers in front of her body at her waist and walked up the aisle toward the crowd, the warrant says. 
 
 Wintrich immediately moved to the right of the lectern and followed her up the aisle and grabbed her with his right arm over her right shoulder, and after an altercation that lasted several seconds, got the papers back. 
 
 Wintrich, a White House correspondent for conservative website Gateway Pundit, was charged with second-degree breach of peace. UConn police said he grabbed a woman, “pulling her back in a violent manner,” and caused a significant disruption to the event with his “tumultuous behavior.” 
 
 He appeared briefly in Superior Court in Rockville on Monday. The case against him was dropped. 
 
 Wintrich called UConn police and said he wanted to make a criminal complaint against Gregory, adding that he did not give her permission to take his notes, according to the affidavit. 
 
 Given that the case was dropped against Wintrich, Schoenhorn said he wants the same for Gregory. 
 
 “We will vigorously defend this case in court,” Schoenhorn said. 
 
 Gregory is the associate director of career services and advising at Quinebaug Valley Community College. Quinebaug Valley Community Colege did not immediately return a request for comment. 
 
 Police said in the arrest affidavit that Gregory is on leave from her job. 
 
 The speaking event, titled “It’s OK To Be White,” drew hundreds to an auditorium on campus and was marked with tension. Some protesting the event chanted: “Go home, Nazi.” 
 
 Wintrich denies claims he is racist and said the speech was meant to end with a message of anti-racism. 
 
 A speech by a conservative pundit arranged by the UConn College Republicans resulted in a chaotic scene on the campus Tuesday night. A speech by a conservative pundit arranged by the UConn College Republicans resulted in a chaotic scene on the campus Tuesday night. SEE MORE VIDEOS 
 
 In the days following the event, UConn President Susan Herbst announced new guidelines for speakers and programs. Though Wintrich had no criminal history or record of distruption, Herbst said: ““the university was disturbed to later learn that an individual traveling with him — whose identity was not known in advance by the university — has at least one arrest for a violent offense, in addition to other very troubling aspects of his record.” 
 
 The individual, who has been identified as Salvatore “Sal” Cipolla, was hovering around Wintrich all night and shooting video. The Huffington Post reported that Cipolla has marched alongside neo-Nazis, and has been arrested multiple times including a violent incident involving a 19-year-old woman. 
 
 Courant staff writers Christine Dempsey and Rebecca Lurye contributed to this story.
– When a right-wing firebrand named Lucian Wintrich tried to give a speech titled "It's OK to Be White" last month at the University of Connecticut, things didn't end well. Wintrich, a reporter for Gateway Pundit, got into an altercation with a woman and ended up being charged with breach of the peace. Now, however, the script has been flipped: Charges against Wintrich have been dropped, while the woman he tussled with is facing larceny and disorderly conduct charges, reports the Hartford Courant. Catherine Gregory, 33, turned herself in over the weekend. Essentially, she's charged with stealing his speech. Video from the night shows her grabbing papers from Wintrich's podium, after which he runs after her, grabs her, and fights to get the papers back. "Ms. [Gregory's] reaction was measured and understandable compared [with] other people's reaction in light of Wintrich's apparent goal of inciting a violent response," says her attorney. "That, of course, would not be covered by the First Amendment." Gregory is free on $1,000 bond and due back in court Wednesday, reports the AP. Wintrich, for his part, is happy with the turn of events. "I obviously think it's wonderful that finally the system corrected itself," he said Monday outside Superior Court in Rockville, Conn., per the Washington Post. "We don't want to create a precedent that people can walk up to speeches they find disagreeable and steal them. I mean, that's really not what America is about."