The cases of the individuals who were arrested in Jefferson City after a protest of Gov. Mike Parson's agenda for the July 2020 legislative special session have been wrapped up.
According to court documents, the cases of Krute Thakkar, Abigail Holland and Lashell Eikerenkoetter, all from the St. Louis area, were dismissed; they each had been charged with one count of misdemeanor peace disturbance.
Five others took deferred prosecution and had the charges dismissed against them. Elijah Foggy, Eva Cloud, Sarah Butler and Alexander Goode, all from the St. Louis area, along with Sabrina Ridenhour, of Jefferson City, were charged with interfering with an arrest and peace disturbance after the protest, both misdemeanors.
Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson said deferred prosecution means the defendants agree their cases will be dismissed and, for that agreement, they were placed on probation with the prosecutor's office for one year.
"They have held up their end of the bargain," Thompson said. "They have not gotten into any more trouble, as far as I know, and they completed the community service they were ordered to do."
Thompson would not comment on the cases that were dismissed.
The protesters were demonstrating against crime legislation they said did more harm to residents who they said were facing oppressive actions by authorities in the St. Louis area.
Jefferson City Police Department officers responded to the area of 100 E. High St. on the afternoon of July 30, 2020, "for a group of subjects walking in the roadway," according to a JCPD news release.
"Information obtained indicated a group of protesters were leaving the Capitol grounds and walking eastbound on High Street. Commanders attempted to contact one of the organizers in an attempt to mediate the crowd," according to the news release. "Multiple participants began blocking the roadway at Jefferson Street and Capitol Avenue to traffic. Responding officers gave participants directions to disperse and clear the roadway. The entire intersection was being blocked by participants including some lying in the roadway.
"After multiple commands were given to the participants, the order to clear the roadway was given. The participants blocked the roadway at three different locations prior to an arrest being made."