Charges Dropped Against Woman in Minnesota Church Protest Due to Mistaken Identity
Federal prosecutors have dismissed criminal charges against Heather Danae Lewis, a woman accused of participating in a controversial anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest at a Minnesota church in January, after it was revealed she did not attend the event. Lewis was one of 30 individuals charged with civil rights crimes for allegedly disrupting a service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, by interfering with congregants' religious rights.
Case of Mistaken Identity Unravels
Charging documents filed in February claimed Lewis was part of a group that gathered in a Cub Foods supermarket parking lot for a pre-protest briefing and later entered the church, participating in chants. However, her lawyer, Brock Hunter, stated that Lewis was coincidentally in the parking lot to pick up auction items and was misidentified based on cellphone data and resemblance to a woman in protest videos. Prosecutors moved to drop the charges "with prejudice," preventing refiling.
Journalist Among Those Charged
Notably, journalist Don Lemon, who was reporting on the protest, was among those charged in the case. The Trump administration's justice department had promoted the prosecution, but a magistrate judge recently criticized delays in discovery, calling it "unacceptable." Lewis expressed relief, stating the ordeal caused significant stress for her family.
