Hell Yeahs have been in very short supply of late. Still, here we are: Hell Yeah: According to the Chicago Tribune, a federal grand jury refused to indict a Chicago couple that was arrested for "assaulting or resisting a federal officer in performance of official duties" during a feisty protest against ICE.
The protest occurred during what the DHS lovingly named Operation Midway Blitz: a name strategically chosen to help reinforce the fact that ICE agents are definitely, most certainly, not anything like the Gestapo. Had the felony charge stuck, they'd be facing up to eight years in prison.
Ray Collins, 21, and Jocelyne Robledo, 30, a husband and wife from the South Side of Chicago, were each allegedly carrying loaded guns with them as they scuffled with officers who were trying to widen a security perimeter during a melee in late September.
Both have lawful permits to carry the firearms, but they were facing felony charges of assaulting or resisting a federal officer in performance of official duties, which carries up to 8 years in prison.
…prosecutors abruptly filed a motion Wednesday to dismiss the case. In court Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Havey told U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel Fuentes, "Yesterday the government presented a category of charges to the grand jury… a no-bill was returned."
Seeing a charge of this type dropped in court is as rare, like a vegetarian being able to name three entrees at Saltgrass Steak House from memory.
The Tribune spoke to the couple's defence attorney, who commented, "The old adage is that a prosecutor could bring an indictment against a ham sandwich. Apparently, they had less evidence than a ham sandwich."
No matter your stance on open or concealed carry of a firearm, seeing the court say nope to letting the case go forward is some much-needed win during this terrible skidmark of a year.
