(Headline USA) Nine protesters have been issued trespassing summonses for marching onto a private St. Louis street in June, a demonstration that prompted a couple armed with guns to confront the demonstrators while defending their home.
Mark and Patricia McCloskey were both charged in July with unlawful use of a weapon despite “castle” laws in the state that protect homeowners defending their property.
The case against the McCloskeys quickly unraveled amid evidence that prosecutor Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner—a Democrat financially backed by globalist mega-donor George Soros—had politically targeted them and later tampered with evidence.
Gardner had previously declared that she would not prosecute any of the rioters engaged in widespread destruction including theft, vandalism, arson and assault.
But police spokeswoman Evita Caldwell on Friday confirmed that nine protesters have been issued summonses.
The St. Louis City Counselor’s office is still deciding whether to issue charges on the citations.
The Rev. Darryl Gray, who led the protest, called the citations an attempt to intimidate peaceful protesters.
“We’re not going to be threatened, and that’s what’s happening across this country,” said Gray, who was not issued a summons.
“You’ve got local governments and states who are trying to charge protesters, financially charge them, wanting them to pay costs,” he continued. “You’ve got others who want to make it a law against exercising our First Amendment right.”
On June 28, about 300 rioters veered onto the private street, where the McCloskeys said they ignored a “No Trespassing” sign and broke through a gate.
Mark McCloskey, 63, came out of the couple’s home with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, a probable cause statement said.
Patricia McCloskey, 61, emerged with a semi-automatic handgun. No shots were fired.
Missouri law allows homeowners to use force, even lethal force, to defend their homes. But Gardner said the guns created the risk of bloodshed.
A police probable cause statement said protesters feared “being injured due to Patricia McCloskey’s finger being on the trigger, coupled with her excited demeanor.”
The charges against the McCloskeys drew an angry response from President Donald Trump.
The couple spoke on video at the Republican National Convention, saying they had a “God-given right” to defend themselves and warning that unless Trump is reelected, America faces a future of lawlessness and mayhem.
Meanwhile, Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has said he will almost certainly pardon the McCloskeys if they are convicted. Their case is still pending in court.
While the McCloskeys face felony charges, trespassing is a lower-level crime that is handled by the city counselor’s office, not Gardner’s office.
Deputy City Counselor Mike Garvin told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that his office wants to examine video from the protest “to see where the accused trespassers were at the time.”
Protester Ohun Ashe wrote on Twitter on Sept. 4 that she had received a summons for trespassing outside the McCloskeys’ home.
“I had a gun waved in my face by them but trespassing is what matters?” she wrote.
It wasn’t clear why just nine of the estimated 300 protesters were issued summonses. Police declined comment beyond a brief statement acknowledging the summonses.
A phone message left with the city counselor’s office was not immediately returned.
At least one man, retired St. Louis police Capt. David Dorn, was murdered during the early riots as thugs attempted to loot the pawn shop owned by his childhood friend. Dorn’s death was captured by his assailants in a Facebook livestream.
