CHICAGO — Charges against four Broadview protesters were dropped Thursday in a stunning turn of events after the U.S. Attorney’s Office admitted federal prosecutors had committed misconduct.
The dismissal of all charges against the four protesters quickly followed U.S. District Judge April Perry’s decision to shelve the start of the trial in the case, which was slated for next week. Perry’s decision came after a closed-door hearing Thursday in which she outlined misconduct at the hands of prosecutors, officials said.
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It’s the latest twist in one of the most high-profile prosecutions to emerge from last year’s Operation Midway Blitz. It began as a felony conspiracy case involving six defendants that turned into four facing misdemeanor charges: Kat Abughazaleh, Michael Rabbitt, Andre Martin and Brian Straw. Cat Sharp and Jocelyn Walsh were also originally charged, but prosecutors dropped all charges against them in March.
As Perry concluded the hearing, she said the issue of any potential sanctions over the misconduct can wait until later. What mattered now was focusing on the four people who no longer have to go to trial, Perry said.
Read the full transcript from the hearing:
USA v. Rabbitt, et al Transcript by Kelly Bauer
