DA drops charges against remaining Confederate statue protesters

Source: The Hill




BY JOHN BOWDEN - 02/20/18 05:11 PM EST

A district attorney in North Carolina on Tuesday announced that the remainder of the charges his office filed against protesters who took down a Confederate monument in Durham would be dropped, following the acquittal of one defendant Monday.

The Herald-Sun reports that Durham County District Attorney Roger Echols will drop charges against the five remaining protesters charged with injury to real property, defacing a public building or monument and conspiracy to deface a public building or monument.

Echols' decision follows a judge acquitting one defendant of similar charges Monday while dismissing charges against two others.

“For my office to continue to take these cases to trial based on the same evidence would be a misuse of state resources,” Echols told reporters. But he warned that violence, even with "noble" intent such as that displayed by the Durham protesters would be punished.

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/374735-da-drops-charges-against-remaining-confederate-statue