FOUR IN ROVE CITIZEN'S ARREST FOUND GUILTY

P R E S S    R E L E A S E  November 21, 2008

 

Release: Immediately

 

Contact: Mona Shaw <MonaShaw@aol.com>

 

713 Indiana Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50314

 

515-282-4781

 

www.DesMoinesCatholicWorker.org

 

FOUR IN ROVE CITIZEN'S ARREST FOUND GUILTY

 

DES MOINES, IA - The four Iowans arrested while attempting to effectuate a citizen's arrest of Karl Rove were found guilty of trespassing today in Iowa District Court in Polk County.  Retired Methodist minister and Peace and Justice Advocate, Rev. Chet Guinn, 80, as well as three Des Moines Catholic Workers, Edward Bloomer, 61, Kirk Brown, 25, and Mona Shaw, 57, were arrested at the Wakonda Country Club in Des Moines, Iowa, where Rove was scheduled to speak at a Republican Party Fundraiser last July 25, 2008 http://www.desmoinescatholicworker.org/rovearrestii.html

 

On that date the four had presented Des Moines Police with a written arrest complaint citing Iowa Code provisions for making Citizen's Arrests as well as citing Federal Statute violations they claimed Rove had violated.  The four maintained during their trial that they were acting within the guidelines of Iowa Code that obligate private citizens to make such an arrest if they believe a felony has been committed and turn Rove over to police officials to bring Rove before a judge for formal indictment.

 

Instructions to the jury allowed that a citizen's arrest was potentially justification for the defendants to refuse to leave the property and that if it was reasonable for the defendants to believe the subject of their arrest had committed a felony that then they should find the defendants not guilty.  The jury returned a guilty verdict for each defendant nonetheless.

 

"It's astonishing to me that there are six people who still don't find it reasonable to believe that Karl Rove has committed a felony," defendant Mona Shaw said later. "It shows how much we still need to educate the public."

 

Sally Frank, attorney for the defendants, said in court that she will file a motion to set aside the verdict and that the verdict will be appealed if the motion is denied.

 

Judge Colin Witt sentenced three of the defendants to the minimum $65.00 fine plus court costs.  One defendant, Kirk Brown, stated he could not in conscience pay the fine and was sentenced to one day in jail instead.

 

Rove remains unindicted any misconduct during his affiliation with the Bush administration and has refused to cooperate with a Congressional subpoena in the Valerie Plame leak investigation.

 

To date there have been more than 4200 US Military deaths in Iraq, 900 in Afghanistan, about 70,000 casualties (wounded as well as those removed for other injuries and illnesses), and more than 400,000 Iraqi and Afghani citizens killed and many, many more wounded.

 

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"Polk County jury finds anti-Rove activists guilty" Associated Press - November 21, 2008

http://www.kptm.com/Global/story.asp?S=9393643&nav=menu606_24_11_1

 

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net

 

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs