Thursday, September 16, 2010

As RNC 8 Trial Approaches, Some Charges Dropped

RNC protest shirt designAccording to the Twin Cities Daily Planet, charges against three members of the RNC 8 have been dismissed. Monica Bicking, Luce Guillen-Givens, and Erin Timmer are off the hook; another defendant, Erik Oseland, took a plea deal a few weeks ago.

Max Specktor, Rob Czernik, Garret Fitzgerald, and Nathanael Secor still face charges of conspiracy to commit riot. Their trial is scheduled to start October 25. The RNC 8's attorney, Bruce Nestor, says the remaining four have also been mailed proposed plea agreements. The Daily Planet paraphrased Nestor as saying the dismissals and pleas are being offered because the county has decided the trials would be "costly and time-consuming." Nestor had this to say:

"I don't think that Susan Gaertner should be allowed to hide behind this kind of justification," said Nestor. "For two years she and Bob Fletcher have claimed that the RNC Welcoming Committee was a criminal enterprise. It is absolutely shameful to charge them with conspiracy and terrorism charges and then dismiss those charges two years later because the trials are going to be time consuming. They [Gaertner and Fletcher] should stand up and say they were wrong."
Remember, this case is being prosecuted by Susan Gaertner, who showed such great judgment in the Koua Fong Lee case, and was investigated by Bob Fletcher, who (I hope) will be Ramsey County sheriff for only a few more months.

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