Connect with us

Southwest

All criminal trespassing charges dropped against anti-Israel UT Austin protesters

Published

on

Prosecutors in Texas have dropped criminal trespassing charges against nearly 80 anti-Israel agitators who demonstrated on the University of Texas at Austin campus in April during the height of the college campus protests, with UT Austin leaders slamming the decision. 

Travis County Attorney Delia Garza announced that all 79 people who were arrested on April 29 had their charges thrown out. At an earlier protest at the campus, 56 arrests were made with criminal trespass charges dropped the following day. 

The news comes after dozens of anti-Israel protesters who occupied and barricaded themselves in buildings on the Columbia University campus in April had their charges dropped last week.

“After examining and weighing all the evidence presented, we have determined that we cannot meet our legal burden to prove these 79 criminal trespass cases beyond reasonable doubt, and they will be dismissed,” Garza said, according to Fox 7.

UT AUSTIN PROTESTS DESCEND INTO CHAOS, ANTI-ISRAEL STUDENTS YELL AT POLICE: ‘PIGS GO HOME!’

Advertisement

University of Texas police officers arrest a man on the campus. (Jay Janner/American-Statesman)

“At the time, I voiced my concerns about the large volume of arrests on the low-level non-violent charge,” Garza said. 

Garza said a team of prosecutors spent 90 hours evaluating these cases before a decision was made. She said her team reviewed evidence including body camera footage and hundreds of pages of offense reports, the law and concerns about violations of constitutionally protected rights of free speech.

“We also have the responsibility to determine if pursuing any case is in the interest of justice, in the interest of public safety, and aligns with the values of this community,” Garza said.

UT Austin released a statement expressing the institution’s dissatisfaction with the decision. 

Advertisement

GUNS CONFISCATED FROM ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS AT UT AUSTIN, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

“We respect the law and are deeply disappointed by the County Attorney’s actions,” the statement reads, per Fox 11.

“The University will continue to use the law enforcement and administrative tools at our disposal to maintain safety and operational continuity for our 53,000 students who come to campus to learn, regardless of whether the criminal justice system shares this commitment. Free speech is welcome on our campus.”

“Violating laws or rules is not. Actions that violate laws and institutional rules should be met with consequences, not with political posturing and press conferences.” 

The dismissals only apply to criminal trespassing cases, and UT police also charged a man who they say illegally carried a loaded gun on campus during the protest. Two additional charges from the protest for obstructing a highway or passageway and interfering with public duty are still pending, according to the Austin-American Statesman. 

Advertisement

A professor was also arrested by the Texas Department of Public Safety for allegedly grabbing a trooper’s bike and yelling expletives. The professor was subsequently fired by the university, the publication reported. 

Protesters at the demonstration were heard chanting “Pigs go home!” at the Texas law enforcement officers on the scene. The keffiyeh-wearing protesters attempted to set up tents similar to other campuses. 

Police on horses at UT Austin

Dozens of arrests were made at anti-Israel protests at UT Austin. (KTBC)

Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, denounced the protests at the time as lawless and antisemitic.

“These protesters belong in jail,” Abbott wrote. “Antisemitism will not be tolerated in Texas. Period. Students joining in hate-filled, antisemitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled.”

Advertisement

Fox News’ Lawrence Richard, Andrea Vacchiano and Bryan Preston contributed to this report.

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Southwest

Texas man arrested after machete attack, police say

Published

on

A Texas man was arrested after police say he attacked another man with a machete-type knife during a traffic quarrel.

Michael Martin Ochwat, 66, was arrested Wednesday and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, the New Braunfels Police Department wrote on Facebook.

Police responded on Monday around noon to a report of a stabbing incident near the intersection of North Market Avenue and East San Antonio Street in New Braunfels.

EIGHT PUPPIES ABANDONED IN SWELTERING TEXAS HEAT RESCUED BY DEPUTIES

Michael Martin Ochwat, 66, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. (New Braunfels Police Department)

Advertisement

When officers arrived, they found a 55-year-old male victim who had suffered a slash wound to his upper body.

Paramedics were called to the scene and provided immediate medical attention before transporting the victim to a hospital in serious but stable condition. The victim has since been released from the hospital.

The preliminary investigation indicates the victim was involved in a dispute with another driver as they were both in their vehicles. Both drivers exited their vehicles when the suspect, who has since been identified as Ochwat, confronted the victim with a machete-type knife.

TANKER TRUCK EXPLODES ON TEXAS HIGHWAY LEAVING SEVERAL CRITICALLY INJURED

Police tape

The incident happened Monday at around noon near the intersection of North Market Avenue and East San Antonio Street in New Braunfels. (Getty Images)

Advertisement

Ochwat was served an arrest warrant on Wednesday afternoon and taken into custody without incident.

He was booked into the Comal County Jail and has since been released on a $50,000 bond.

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading

Los Angeles, Ca

McDonald's to launch new app exclusive item inspired by Japanese menu

Published

on

McDonald's to launch new app exclusive item inspired by Japanese menu

McDonald’s is set to roll out a new sauce that’s inspired by a similar item offered at its restaurants in Japan.

The new Special Grade Garlic Sauce features “notes of garlic and soy sauce, balanced with a slight tangy sweetness,” McDonald’s officials said.

The sauce is inspired by the fast food titan’s popular Black Garlic Sauce sold in Japanese McDonald’s stores.

The sauce launches nationwide on July 9, and while you won’t have to travel all the way to Japan to try it, you will need to make an eligible purchase using the McDonald’s app.

In honor of the new menu item and to celebrate its Japanese inspiration, McDonald’s has partnered with the popular anime series “Jujutsu Kaisen.”

Advertisement

The show tells the story of Yuji Itadori, “a boy with tremendous physical strength,” but a completely ordinary high school life.

“One day, to save a classmate who has been attacked by curses, he eats the finger of Ryomen Sukuna, taking the curse into his own soul. From then on, he shares one body with Ryomen Sukuna. Guided by the most powerful of sorcerers, Satoru Gojo, Itadori is admitted to Tokyo Jujutsu High School,” the series description reads.

The sauce packaging will feature eight unique lid designs starring characters from the hit show and each purchase of the new Special Grade Garlic Sauce unlocks a free 30-day trial of Crunchyroll, the massive anime and manga streaming platform. Full episodes of “Jujutsu Kaisen” are available for streaming through Crunchyroll.

Eight unique designs featured in McDonald's new Special Grade Garlic Sauce.
Eight unique designs featured in McDonald’s new Special Grade Garlic Sauce.

“Grab the Special Grade Garlic Sauce for free with any order of Chicken McNuggets, or pair it with your go-to order on the McDonald’s App to make a meal fit for any sorcerer,” McDonald’s announced in a news release.

The sauces are available for a limited time while supplies last and the streaming offer comes with its own set of terms.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Southwest

Arizona election worker seen stealing from Senate security desk day before election center theft: officials

Published

on

A temporary election worker in Maricopa County, Arizona, charged with stealing a digital magnetic key from a tabulation center has been linked to another theft from the state Senate building. 

The Arizona Department of Public Safety announced on Thursday that 27-year-old Walter Ringfield, of Phoenix, had been connected to a theft reported to a trooper assigned to the Capitol District on June 19 at the Arizona Senate Building in Phoenix. The development comes after authorities earlier in the week had identified Ringfield as the suspect in a June 20 theft from the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center. 

Troopers reviewed Senate security footage, which showed a suspect had entered a restricted area of the building and “removed numerous items from a security staff member’s desk,” DPS said. The stolen items included “challenge coins and other desk accessories,” according to the agency. 

Investigators later identified the suspect as Ringfield. A search warrant was ultimately served on his Phoenix residence, and detectives recovered the stolen items. 

ARIZONA ELECTION WORKER ACCUSED OF STEALING SECURITY DEVICE WAS HIRED DESPITE FELONY THEFT ARREST MONTHS PRIOR

Advertisement

Walter Ringfield mugshot (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)

Ringfield faces new charges, including trespassing, theft and burglary, DPS said. 

The incident occurred just a day before Ringfield was seen on security footage allegedly taking the items shortly after 5 p.m. at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center. 

The video showed him approaching a desk and multiple tabulators, then taking a red wrist lanyard containing the security fob and keys, a probable cause statement obtained by Fox News Digital says. 

Detectives with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office arrested Ringfield on June 21 outside his home in Phoenix on suspicion of theft and criminal damage. 

Advertisement

At the time, the probable cause statement says, they observed a red plastic item inside Ringfield’s car matching the description of the missing lanyard.

3 split thumbnail of walter ringfield taking security election equipment

Walter Ringfield was spotted on security footage removing a digital magnetic key from the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center on June 20. (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)

ARIZONA ELECTION WORKER ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY STEALING SECURITY DEVICE FROM BALLOT TABULATION CENTER

Officials said the tabulation center theft required that the election equipment be reprogrammed, costing taxpayers approximately $20,000. 

Ringfield also was arrested in September 2023 after allegedly stealing $1,800 from a register during the course of his shift as a grocery store cashier in Phoenix, according to another probable cause statement obtained by Fox News Digital. That document also lists a prior arrest for disorderly conduct and fighting. 

The September 2023 arrest resulted in Ringfield entering a felony diversion program. 

Advertisement

At a press conference on Tuesday, Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates admitted that Ringfield had been in a felony diversion program, but said that information did not come up during a criminal background check conducted before he was hired as a temporary election worker. He vowed that the incident would not “have any impact whatsoever on the primary,” which is scheduled for July 30.
 

Supervisor Bill Gates holds security key during press conference

Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates holds up a black security key as an example of one stolen from the tabulation center. (KSAZ)

At Tuesday’s press conference, Maricopa County Sheriff Russ Skinner was asked if authorities had a reason to believe the theft from the ballot tabulation center was “politically motivated.” He said he could not speculate at this time, explaining that investigators “are still combing through a lot of digital evidence that were taken at the scene and going through items that were taken in the search warrant.” 

“We don’t have any indication at this point, but we’re not ruling it out. And we’re going to leave no stone unturned,” he said. 

Advertisement

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading

Trending