NewsCovering Kentucky

Actions

Jury finds local activist not guilty of inciting riot during 2020 Black Lives Matter protest

Image from iOS - 2022-07-13T133527.870.jpg
Posted at 12:35 PM, Jul 13, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-13 16:17:28-04

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A jury has found Sarah Williams not guilty of inciting a riot during a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020.

The jury also found Williams not guilty of resisting arrest and possession of marijuana. Williams was found guilty of disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor charge, and ordered to pay a $250 fine.

During her trial, several officers who worked the protests in late spring 2020 spoke about what they saw in the streets in downtown Lexington.

All the officers, and even county attorney Larry Roberts, acknowledged that Williams was never involved in violence, but Roberts claimed she incited a riot when he says she encouraged protesters to breach a barricade and defy police orders.