The Freddie Gray case

Freddie Gray case: Baltimore Police Officer Edward Nero found not guilty of all charges

Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams on Monday rejected the state's case against Officer Edward Nero, acquitting him on all counts for his role in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray.

The judgment, which followed a five-day bench trial, is the first in the closely-watched case. 

Nero, 30, had faced four misdemeanor charges of second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and two counts of misconduct in office.

Prosecutors argued that Nero committed an assault by detaining Gray without justification, while the reckless endangerment charge related to Nero's role in putting Gray into an arrest wagon without buckling a seat belt. 

In closing arguments Thursday, Williams had skeptically questioned prosecutors about their theory of assault, which legal experts said was unprecedented.

Williams on Monday said there were "no credible facts" to show that Nero was directly involved in Gray's arrest, and said testimony showed Nero's role in putting Gray in the van was minimized by the actions of others and not unreasonable given his training.

It was bullshit from the beginning, Baltimore authorities rushing to placate the mobs that tore up the city in support of the criminal classes, venting their hatred of police as well as their racism, as well as the "riot ideology" of the mob's supporters among the chattering classes.

The state's theory for the assault charge had been described by legal observers as "novel" or even "radical." 

When the constitutionality of a police stop is questioned, the typical remedy is for charges to be dropped or evidence suppressed. 

Officers can also be sued.

But prosecutors sought to criminalize the interaction, with Deputy Chief State's Attorney Janice Bledsoe remarking that people were "jacked up all the time" and that officers must justify all of their actions. 

Williams closely questioned prosecutors on the theory in closing arguments, but made no conclusion on it in finding Nero had no involvement.

The whole article is worth reading, and excellent de-bunking of the trumped up charges and the silly arguments used by the prosecution to support them.