Local Activist, Already Facing Felony Charge Arrested Again
Sona Arutyunyan covers the courts. Contact her at sarutyunyan@dailycal.org.Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Category: News
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Comments (Oak grove protester Zachary RunningWolf was released from the Berkeley Jail Facility yesterday after being charged with numerous traffic violations that add to other legal problems including a recent felony charge of threatening a police officer.
RunningWolf was arrested by the UCPD on Friday and charged with numerous misdemeanor counts of traffic violations and contempt, Alameda Superior Court officials said.
RunningWolf said he was released on his own recognizance yesterday after he was held at the Berkeley Jail Facility for four days.
UCPD Assistant Chief Mitch Celaya did not return calls seeking comment yesterday.
RunningWolf has been living in an oak grove near Memorial Stadium with several activists since December in protest of a proposed athletic facility that would require the removal of 26 oak trees.
Protester and UC Berkeley senior Jake Gelender said supporters had gathered bail money for RunningWolf in case he had not been released, and said the arrest was uncalled for.
“I would say this is a continued pattern of harassment of oak protesters and of Zachary RunningWolf by the UCPD,” Gelender said.
RunningWolf also faces felony charges of resisting a police officer and making criminal threats to an officer stemming from an incident on Feb. 16.
To fight the charges, RunningWolf has hired a legal team of several lawyers, including attorneys Che Hashim and Omar Figueroa.
RunningWolf and his attorneys said he was recently offered a plea bargain under which he would plead guilty to a lessened misdemeanor charge, receiving court probation and no jail time.
“He is reluctant to plead guilty to anything he feels he hasn’t done,” Hashim said.
RunningWolf said he plans to countersue the university for making a false arrest and will seek counsel in the suit. He awaits a pretrial hearing for the felony charges on April 18 and expects the court to address his recent traffic violation charges on that date.
Hashim said yesterday he was not aware of RunningWolf’s arrest on Friday or the misdemeanor traffic violation charges.
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