Federal prosecutors quietly dismiss nearly one-third of violent protests cases from summer 2020
Report: Federal prosecutors quietly dismiss nearly one-third of violent protests cases from summer 2020
Posted by: Jenna Curren visit Lawenforcement Today
According to federal court documents that were reviewed by KGW8 News, federal prosecutors have dismissed more than one-third of cases stemming from the violent protests that occurred on a nightly basis in downtown Portland over summer 2020.
In their review, the news outlet found that 31 of the 90 protest cases have been dismissed by the U.S. Department of Justice, including a mix of misdemeanor and felony charges. Some of the most serious charges dropped include four defendants charged with assaulting a federal officer, which is a felony.
Reportedly, more than half of the dropped charges were “dismissed with prejudice,” which means that the case cannot be brought back to court. Several former federal prosecutors described this as extremely rare.
These dismissals of protest cases run counter to the tough talk that came from the U.S. Department of Justice over summer 2020.
Billy Williams, then-U.S. Attorney for Oregon, vowed that there would be consequences for the nightly graffiti, fires, and vandalism outside the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse. In a September 25, 2020 press release, Williams said:
“Make no mistake: those who commit violence in the name of protest will be investigated, arrested, prosecuted, and face prison time.”
Most of the defendants whose protests cases are still pending have seen their trials delayed, mostly because of the continued pandemic. Those defendants face a mix of felony and misdemeanor charges.
Reportedly, three defendants cut plea deals resulting in probation and home detention. Two of the plea agreements required a relatively short prison sentence of 3o days and several people closely involved with the protest cases said that they expect many more federal charges to be dismissed soon.
At least 11 of the dismissed federal protest cases were dropped on or after the inauguration of President Joe Biden. With a new president and a new U.S. Attorney in Oregon, it is unclear how the rest of these cases will be handled moving forward.
Meanwhile, the violence has continued in Portland .
For more on the case dismissals and other Law Enforcement topics visit Lawenforcement Today