OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Five people charged with felony inciting a riot pleaded guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge Monday, following a June incident when an officer driving near the Oklahoma City Police Department was confronted by a group of protesters.
In June, Trevour Webb, Sincere Terry, Tyreke Baker, and Preston Nabors were charged with felony inciting a riot. Mia Hogsett was charged with felony threatening act of violence.
On Monday, they pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of misdemeanor obstructing an officer, and Hogsett pleaded guilty to misdemeanor threatening to perform an act of violence.
The charges stem from June 22, when the group got into a dispute with an officer over the placement of a road barrier near a Black Lives Matter mural.
At the time, police said the group yelled obscenities at the officer and refused to get out of his way. Ultimately, the officer and the civilian he was transporting entered the police station from a different route.
The incident resulted with the five people charged.
“Charged with incitement to riot and bond set at $200,000. I spent two days in the Oklahoma county jail as a result of a community mural project that resulted in unconstitutional charges,” said Baker.
After the hearing, the group held a press conference, taking the opportunity to call out District Attorney David Prater for what they believe was unfair treatment.
“Was it fair? Absolutely not, it was tragic. It was disgusting,” Baker said.
Webb said he felt even the reduced charge was unfair, but that he pleaded to avoid possible jail time that would keep him from his children.
“Even if I know it’s right, I, this is a misdemeanor,” Webb said, and at the end of the day, we might have I feel like lost this battle but the war is still being fought against the unjust system.”
On Monday afternoon, District Attorney Prater sent News 4 a statement.
As part of the plea deal, the five defendants will have a two year deferred sentence and unsupervised probation. If they don’t break any laws and pay all the incurred fines, there will not be a conviction, and in the future the charge could be wiped from their record.
Jacqui Ford, one of the attorneys taking their cases pro-bono, said while she wishes she could have seen them walk away with no charges, she’s grateful for the decision to reduce the charges.
“Give these young people an opportunity to grow, and thrive, and become the productive members of the community that they already are, and that they have huge hopes and dreams of aspiring too.”
