An Air Force veteran and former Playboy model was arrested for taking an American flag from campus protesters who were trampling on it . Michelle Manhart , 38 , was handcuffed by police at Valdosta State University , Georgia , and driven off in a patrol car after grabbing the Stars and Stripes and refusing to return it to the student demonstrators . Video footage of the event , on Friday , shows Manhart struggling with officers , who force her to the ground after she refuses to let the flag go . Scroll down for video . Struggle : Manhart , 38 , is shown , left , refusing to release a flag which protesters were trampling on . In the right-hand photograph she is seen being arrested at Valdosta State University in Georgia . Cause : Manhart came to the campus because she heard students were walking on the flag , as seen above . It shows her surrounded by protesters on the campus , who demand their property be returned . In response , Manhart says the flag belongs to 'the entire United States ' . Campus police try to convince her to drop the flag , but Manhart , a former training sergeant who served in Kuwait , refuses . Speaking to the Valdosta Daily Times about her intervention , she said : ' I did not want anything like this , but I got a call from a student who told me that the flag was on the ground , and they were walking on it . ' I was just going over there to pick up the flag off the ground . I don ’ t know what their cause is , but I went to pick it up because it doesn ’ t deserve to be on the ground . ' She continued : 'If your cause is racism then find some white people and walk on them . 'But to walk on the flag is walking on our symbol of freedom . You have the freedom to do what you are doing because of it . I ’ m not fighting against them . I ’ m fighting against the way they are going about it . ' It is not clear what the demonstrators were rallying against . They did not answer reporters ' questions about what their cause was . Air Force to bare force : Manhart was once a Staff Sergeant at the San Antonio Air Force training camp ( right ) , but was demoted when she appeared nude in Playboy magazine . She is shown left holding a copy of the issue containing her spread . According to the Daily Times , the group did n't want to press charges against Manhart . However , police gave her a trespass warning , which bans her from the campus . Manhart has come under fire for standing up for her beliefs before . In 2007 she made national headlines - and lost her job - for posing nude for Playboy magazine . Explicit photographs from the periodical 's February 2007 issue show then-Sergeant Manhart in a variety of provocative poses - first with , then later without - her military uniform . Cover girl : After her original feature , Manhart appeared in Playboy again . She is shown here on the cover of the Mexican edition . When Air Force bosses got wind of the racy feature , they relieved her of her duties at the Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio , Texas . She was later demoted , and ultimately left the Air Force . However , she remained defiant , telling reporters at the time ' I did n't do anything wrong , so I did n't think it would be a major issue ' . The decision brought an end to 14 years of service . She later appeared in other editions of Playboy - including the cover of the Mexican edition - and posed for animal rights group Peta to support an anti-fur campaign . The Daily Times reported that Manhart now intends to hold a pro-military counter-demonstration in the town on Wednesday . In response to the incident , the university 's president says he disapproves of the flag-trampling protest , but recognizes their right to express themselves that way if they choose . Dr William McKinney said : 'The American flag represents everything that is best about our country . As the Supreme Court has held , one of those things is the right to free speech , which includes the right to disrespect even the symbol of our country . 'While I firmly disagree with the actions of the protesters , I understand their right to protest . '
Michelle Manhart , 38 , was handcuffed at Valdosta State University , San Antonio . Former USAF training sergeant took flag from campus protesters on Friday . Police arrested her for not giving it back because of how it was treated . Manhart posed for raunchy military-themed Playboy spread in 2007 . Was demoted from her sergeant rank , and later left the military .