Charges dismissed in Plaza obelisk altercation with police

Tony Raap, The Santa Fe New Mexican
·1 min read

Mar. 31—Prosecutors have dismissed misdemeanor charges against a protester involved in an altercation with police shortly before the toppling of the Plaza obelisk.

Sean Sunderland, 25, was accused of jumping on the back of an officer who was attempting to arrest another protester during an Indigenous Peoples Day rally as city workers tried to board up the obelisk.

Demonstrators attached ropes and chains to the monument and pulled it down after police left the Plaza.

"Mr. Sunderland was in police custody at the time of the toppling of the Obelisk, and he was not charged with any actions directly related to the toppling of the Obelisk," Sunderland's attorney, Kitren Fischer, said in a statement.

Charges of criminal trespass and resisting or obstructing arrest were dismissed Monday against Sunderland after he agreed to perform 40 hours of community service, Fischer said.

In December, a Santa Fe County magistrate dropped the charges against Sunderland after the police officer handling the case failed to appear for a hearing. The police department said the court did not notify the officer of the court date. The city later refiled the charges in a different court.

The obelisk was dedicated to soldiers who fought in the Civil War, but it also had an inscription honoring the "heroes" who died in battle with "savage Indians."

At least seven people are accused of participating in destroying the controversial monument, including Lily Sage Schweitzer, 33; Ryan Witt, 29; Dawn Furlong, 47; Melissa Rose, 44; Lauren Straily, 28; Zak Young, 26; and Stephen Fox, 73.

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