Hunter
03/14/24
A Coralville resident was found not guilty in Johnson County Court Wednesday on criminal mischief and interference charges stemming from a protest on the University of Iowa Campus.
The Gazette reports 45-year-old Tara Dutcher joined the protest rally before the event started at 7 p.m. to support transgender individuals protesting the speaker, Chloe Cole, on Oct. 16, 2023, at the Iowa Memorial Union, and those who attended the event who would be leaving after 8 p.m.
During the jury trial, Dutcher testified that they understood the protesters could walk in a circle at the Madison and Jefferson streets intersection. They carried a trans colors flag and a pride flag, and was reportedly regarded as the leader of the group because they confronted a police officer who allegedly put hands on the protesters while attempting to remove them after about 20 minutes. .
Dutcher was one of six people arrested in the incident. The other five took plea deals, but Dutcher tested Iowa’s law on public protests, which was enacted as part of the “Back the Blue” laws in Iowa and 16 other states following demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota in 2020. Iowa’s version of the law expanded protections for drivers who hit street protesters.
The jury deliberated about three hours before reaching a verdict.