The Trial of the Century has gotten a little bit smaller.
Currently, 6 men are expected to be tried in the Bunkerville Standoff trial expected to begin jury selection on October 30th. Cliven Bundy, his sons Ammon and Ryan, as well as Ryan Payne are ready. Eric Parker and Scott Drexler are scheduled for their third trial, after two previous trials this year resulting in acquittals and deadlocked verdicts.
But Parker and Drexler have been offered plea agreements by the government that will allow them to close the book on this chapter of their lives.
After negotiations that have gone back and forth for weeks, Eric Parker has been offered a plea agreement that he feels would be the best for his family.
Parker has agreed to accept a misdemeanor charge of “Obstruction of a Court Order.” This basically means that he will agree that he went to the bridge after Cliven spoke at the rally. He heard the BLM officers say that there was a court order and the protesters need to leave. The agreement does mention that Parker was armed and refused to leave the area when the officers told him to do so.
That’s it. It is a very basic misdemeanor charge that will allow for time already served in prison and probation. This is very similar to the agreement that Scott Drexler was offered. It is anticipated that Drexler will be considering accepting a similar deal as well.
The charge allows for up to 5 years of probation, which the prosecution intends to argue in favor of. The defense believes that, since Parker and Drexler have already served more time than this charge calls for, they should have a greater than average chance of a short probation.
Parker’s plea agreement includes a no forfeiture clause and a no restitution clause, so his financial situation will not be precarious. Additionally, Parker will not be required to testify in the upcoming trial.
The change of plea hearing is scheduled for Monday morning, October 23rd, at 8 o’clock in the morning.
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