Daijiworld Media Network - Minnesota
Minnesota, Mar 22: Federal prosecutors in the United States have dropped charges against a woman who was among 39 people accused of disrupting a church service during a protest against the immigration policies of Donald Trump, in what has been described as a case of mistaken identity.
The charges against 50-year-old Heather Danae Lewis were dismissed with prejudice, meaning she cannot be prosecuted again in the case. The development was recorded in court filings late on Friday without any official explanation from prosecutors.
According to her attorney, Brock Hunter, Lewis was wrongly identified as a participant in the January 18 protest at Cities Church in St Paul, Minnesota. Activists had targeted the church as a senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official, David Easterwood, serves there as a pastor.
Hunter said his client bore a resemblance to a woman seen in protest footage, leading to her arrest. However, Lewis later proved that she had not attended the demonstration.
“I am glad this simple case of mistaken identity is finally coming to an end for me,” Lewis said in a statement, adding that the episode had caused significant stress to her family.
The accused in the case were facing charges of conspiring to violate religious freedoms and interfering with worship at a place of religious assembly.
The case has drawn attention as part of a broader push by authorities to treat organised protests against immigration policies as criminal conspiracies.
Lewis was detained on February 27 after federal agents pulled her over and informed her of an arrest warrant. She was taken into custody and questioned for several hours before being released.
Her lawyer alleged that investigators relied on cellphone tower data placing her near a parking lot used by protesters, although she was there for unrelated reasons. He added that a prior notice could have prevented the error.
The dismissal adds to recent setbacks for federal prosecutors in Minnesota, including other cases being dropped or criticised by courts over procedural lapses.