FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): In a Monday morning press conference, Allen County Prosecutor Karen Richards updated the status of cases related to violent weekend protests following the death of George Floyd.
Richards shared some video as she summarized her office’s research into the arrests and the next steps as the cases either move forward or are dismissed.
Attorneys from both the civil and criminal divisions were assigned to the team to review video and other evidence collected and then make recommendations as to how to proceed. Our Partners in News at ABC 21 report that more than 450 collective hours were spent going over evidence.
Some cases were previously dismissed or have moved toward plea agreements. Of the outstanding cases, 45 will be dismissed according to the Prosecutor, and 50 will either go to trial or be opened to plea agreements.
She also announced Monday that five cases of “unreasonable force” have been forwarded to the Fort Wayne Police Department’s internal affairs office for review.
While Richards said that her office supports peaceful protests, there is a line that was crossed and even though some things seemed peaceful, decisions to block intersections, climb on vehicles or hinder emergency vehicle traffic will not be tolerated by her office.
2 comments
shouldn’t dismiss any cases —- let the process be the punishment and maybe the rioters will think twice before doing it again
It is refreshing to see that a prosecutor has put in the time and collective review with a team to effectively evaluate the actions of the accused protestors/rioters. Unlike some that prefer to dismiss the charges in order to avoid any appearance of support for law and order thereby avoiding the resulting backlash from BLM or Antifa. Our police and prosecutor has done a great job of walking the fence by allowing peaceful demonstrations and yet maintaining order. With this consistent leadership we will not become another Portland. It is a shame the ACLU wants to make us one. Thank you FWPD and Ms. Richards for a job well done.
5 mulligans to the ACLU for making thing worse.