Victor Smith, a participant in April’s pro-Palestine encampment near Alma Mater, pleaded guilty on Monday to charges of mob action and obstruction of a peace officer.
The defendant attended the demonstration on April 26, at which student protesters called for University divestment from Israeli weapons manufacturing. Smith and fellow protesters erected tents and linked arms around the encampment while UIPD officers attempted to remove the tents.
Champaign County Associate Judge Brett Olmstead charged Smith with two counts of obstruction of a peace officer, a Class A misdemeanor and mob action, a Class 4 felony.
“In that the said defendant knowingly obstructed the performance by University of Illinois Police Officer Lt. Jason Bradley and other officers of an authorized act within their official capacity,” said State’s Attorney Julia Rietz in a charging document obtained by The Daily Illini via a Freedom of Information Act request.
The document also stated that Smith and a group of other protesters physically prevented University Facilities and Building Services employees from removing the tents erected by demonstrators that day.
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“In that said defendant knowingly by the use of force and violence disturbed the public peace,” Rietz said in the charging document.
Smith was ordered to serve 100 hours of public service work, supervised by the Champaign County Court Services Department, according to a docket sheet obtained from the Champaign County Circuit Clerk’s website.
He was also sentenced to 12 months of conditional discharge, during which he is excused from serving prison time so long as he follows certain conditions, such as performing his public service duties.
