DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | University of Iowa anti-war protests, January-April 1971 | 1971-03-22 Iowa City Press-Citizen Article: ""Nearly All Protest Cases Dropped""

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University of Iowa anti-war protests, January-April 1971

1971-03-22 Iowa City Press-Citizen Article: ""Nearly All Protest Cases Dropped""

IC Press Citizen 3/22/71

Nearly All Protest Cases Dropped
By MARK F. ROHNER
Of the Press-Citizen

Only one conviction has resulted from 41 trials set for today for persons arrested last May, 5 in connection with antiwar protests in downtown Iowa City, Six of the 41 cases are yet to be disposed of. 
Most of the trials - all involving disorderly conduct charges - never began as Police Judge Joseph Thornton dismissed the charges against 31 defendants whom the prosecution said it could no longer identify. 
Thornton found three other defendants innocent of disorderly conduct charges. One case was taken under advisement, three others are set for trial this afternoon and two have been continued. 
Found guilty of disorderly conduct was Regina Kaiser, a University of Iowa student. Her defense attorney, Joseph C. Johnson, offered no evidence to counter Johnson Count Sheriff Maynard Schneider's testimony that she was arrested while sitting in the intersection of College and Dubuque Streets with a group of antiwar protestors. 
Thornton ordered Miss Kaiser pay a $100 fine. 
A lack of chin whiskers, figured in the acquittal of Michael Murphy after Schneider identified Murphy as a bearded youth he had arrested during the demonstration at the College-Dubuque intersection. 
Police Sgt. Donald Hogan produced a picture of a clean shaven Murphy which Hogan had taken just after Murphy's arrest. Murphy and two other witnesses then testified that Murphy was arrested at Clinton and Washington Streets more than 
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an hour after demonstrations were over. 
Murphy said he was talking to two friends at Clinton and Washington when a squad car drove up and two officers ordered the three to leave the area.Murphy said he agreed to leave but asked the policemen "how they could arrest me for riding my bicycle at three in the morning"
"You'll damn well see," one of the officers replied and threw Murphy into the squad car, Murphy testified. Murphy's story was corroborated by two other witnesses John Cord and Sheryl Elwood. 
Also acquitted were John Mullin and Dennis Hurley. 
  Mullin, head resident at Rienow II dormitory, said he was taken into custody near Clinton and Washington as a large group of demonstrators was leaving the area. 
Mullin said he had come to the downtown area to look out for Rienow II residents who were taking part in the demonstration. When he showed his head-resident's identification and asked two policemen not to shove a prisoner they were arresting, one of the officers struck Mullin's wrist with a club slapped him and took him into custody, Mullin testified, 
Hurley testified that he was arrested as he attempted to comply with officers' orders to leave the Washington - Gilbert Street area where a line of policemen was faced off with a line of rock throwing demonstrators.
Hurley said that as he was walking backwards away from the area, an officer approached him and arrested him. 
Thornton took under advisement the case of UI student Patricia Farrelll after hearing conflicting testimony about where she was arrested. 
Schneider testified that Miss Farrell was arrested when she continued to sit in the College-Dubuque intersection after a crowd of about 50 had been ordered to clear the area. Miss Farrell said she was on her way to Currier Hall dormitory after she complied with the order to leave. She was taken into custody as she stood on the sidewalk near the intersection, she said. 
Two witnesses arrested with Miss Farrell agreed she was not in the intersection at the time of her arrest. 
Thornton was scheduled to hear the cases early this afternoon of three of five defendants yet to be tried. The three are Jerry Sies, Christine Wemmer and Howard Weinberg. City Atty. Jay Honohan said the trials of Sies and MIss Wemmer might be consolidated. 
Thornton earlier today overruled Honohan's motion for consolidation of several other defendants after hearing the objections of four defense attorneys. 
The judge continued the trials of John Lenz and Kent Simon. 
Thornton dismissed charges against Gary Anderson, Douglas Baker, Claire Brown, Bryan Davis, Gerald Depew, Kathy Donovan, Jonathan Dukeheart, Michael Evans, Michael Glowacki, Pamela Hood, Charles Johnson, Terry Joseph, Michael Knight, Allen Lehman, Daid Lehman, Perle Little, Stephen McCrdy, Darlene Mallonee, Barbara Martin, Laurie Riskin, Jody Rogers, Michael Shannon, John Shaw, William D. Shepard, David Toussaint, Thomas Tubbesing, Robert Young, Louis Katz and Rick Voorhees.

P-C 3/22/71
   The 41 persons are those remaining from an original group of 51 arrested late May 5 and early May 6 in connection with a demonstration in which windows were broken and streets blocked in the downtown area.
   The protest was in reaction to the American invasion of Cambodia and the killing of four Kent State University students.

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IC Press Citizen 3/22/71 Nearly All Protest Cases Dropped By MARK F. ROHNER Of the Press-Citizen Only one conviction has resulted from 41 trials set for today for persons arrested last May, 5 in connection with antiwar protests in downtown Iowa City, Six of the 41 cases are yet to be disposed of. Most of the trials - all involving disorderly conduct charges - never began as Police Judge Joseph Thornton dismissed the charges against 31 defendants whom the prosecution said it could no longer identify. Thornton found three other defendants innocent of disorderly conduct charges. One case was taken under advisement, three others are set for trial this afternoon and two have been continued. Found guilty of disorderly conduct was Regina Kaiser, a University of Iowa student. Her defense attorney, Joseph C. Johnson, offered no evidence to counter Johnson Count Sheriff Maynard Schneider's testimony that she was arrested while sitting in the intersection of College and Dubuque Streets with a group of antiwar protestors. Thornton ordered Miss Kaiser pay a $100 fine. A lack of chin whiskers, figured in the acquittal of Michael Murphy after Schneider identified Murphy as a bearded youth he had arrested during the demonstration at the College-Dubuque intersection. Police Sgt. Donald Hogan produced a picture of a clean shaven Murphy which Hogan had taken just after Murphy's arrest. Murphy and two other witnesses then testified that Murphy was arrested at Clinton and Washington Streets more than COURT Turn to Page 2A Court From Page 1A an hour after demonstrations were over. Murphy said he was talking to two friends at Clinton and Washington when a squad car drove up and two officers ordered the three to leave the area.Murphy said he agreed to leave but asked the policemen "how they could arrest me for riding my bicycle at three in the morning" "You'll damn well see," one of the officers replied and threw Murphy into the squad car, Murphy testified. Murphy's story was corroborated by two other witnesses John Cord and Sheryl Elwood. Also acquitted were John Mullin and Dennis Hurley. Mullin, head resident at Rienow II dormitory, said he was taken into custody near Clinton and Washington as a large group of demonstrators was leaving the area. Mullin said he had come to the downtown area to look out for Rienow II residents who were taking part in the demonstration. When he showed his head-resident's identification and asked two policemen not to shove a prisoner they were arresting, one of the officers struck Mullin's wrist with a club slapped him and took him into custody, Mullin testified, Hurley testified that he was arrested as he attempted to comply with officers' orders to leave the Washington - Gilbert Street area where a line of policemen was faced off with a line of rock throwing demonstrators. Hurley said that as he was walking backwards away from the area, an officer approached him and arrested him. Thornton took under advisement the case of UI student Patricia Farrelll after hearing conflicting testimony about where she was arrested. Schneider testified that Miss Farrell was arrested when she continued to sit in the College-Dubuque intersection after a crowd of about 50 had been ordered to clear the area. Miss Farrell said she was on her way to Currier Hall dormitory after she complied with the order to leave. She was taken into custody as she stood on the sidewalk near the intersection, she said. Two witnesses arrested with Miss Farrell agreed she was not in the intersection at the time of her arrest. Thornton was scheduled to hear the cases early this afternoon of three of five defendants yet to be tried. The three are Jerry Sies, Christine Wemmer and Howard Weinberg. City Atty. Jay Honohan said the trials of Sies and MIss Wemmer might be consolidated. Thornton earlier today overruled Honohan's motion for consolidation of several other defendants after hearing the objections of four defense attorneys. The judge continued the trials of John Lenz and Kent Simon. Thornton dismissed charges against Gary Anderson, Douglas Baker, Claire Brown, Bryan Davis, Gerald Depew, Kathy Donovan, Jonathan Dukeheart, Michael Evans, Michael Glowacki, Pamela Hood, Charles Johnson, Terry Joseph, Michael Knight, Allen Lehman, Daid Lehman, Perle Little, Stephen McCrdy, Darlene Mallonee, Barbara Martin, Laurie Riskin, Jody Rogers, Michael Shannon, John Shaw, William D. Shepard, David Toussaint, Thomas Tubbesing, Robert Young, Louis Katz and Rick Voorhees. P-C 3/22/71 The 41 persons are those remaining from an original group of 51 arrested late May 5 and early May 6 in connection with a demonstration in which windows were broken and streets blocked in the downtown area. The protest was in reaction to the American invasion of Cambodia and the killing of four Kent State University students.