Man Who Hit Federal Officer With Rock During Portland Ice Protest Gets Hefty Prison Time

A man who threw a stone that struck a national serviceman during protests extracurricular a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building successful Portland has been sentenced to 30 months successful prison, national officials said Thursday.

Robert Jacob Hoopes pleaded blameworthy nether a plea woody to aggravated battle of a national employee pinch a vulnerable weapon.

Prosecutors said Hoopes hurled a stone during a protestation past June, hitting an serviceman successful nan caput and causing a gash supra nan eye.

U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson besides sentenced Hoopes to 3 years of supervised merchandise and ordered him to salary much than $8,000 successful restitution.

“Today’s connection is clear — unit is not protest,” said Scott Bradford, U.S. lawyer for nan District of Oregon. “When you transverse nan statement and battle a national officer, you will beryllium prosecuted.”

Hoopes’ lawyer did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

The lawsuit is 1 of respective arising from protests astatine nan Portland ICE facility, which has been a predominant flashpoint complete national migration enforcement.

Demonstrations location person continued for months, astatine times escalating into clashes pinch rule enforcement, according to tribunal records and officials.

Federal prosecutors person pursued a scope of charges nationwide successful cases involving assaults connected officers during immigration-related protests, including successful cities specified arsenic Chicago and Los Angeles.

In Portland, different defendants person besides faced situation sentences for protest-related activity.

One man was antecedently sentenced to 18 months for arson aft prosecutors said he threw a lit flare that caused harm astatine nan ICE facility.

Some related cases person been dismissed, while others person gone to proceedings aliases ended successful mistrials aliases probation sentences, according to tribunal records.

Hoopes is 1 of nan fewer defendants successful nan Portland cases to plead blameworthy to assaulting a national serviceman pinch a vulnerable weapon.