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Seems like forever ago, but it was just last month that Stephen Benavides spent a few days in county lock-up on charges of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest during that Occupy Dallas protest at the downtown Bank of America. But then, a few days and one YouTube clip later, Dallas Police Chief David Brown acknowledged: Benavides maybe didn’t start it. Maybe an off-duty DPD officer working an off-duty security job maybe pushed Benavides off that downtown-sidewalk planter. At which point Brown ordered a formal investigation.
Moments ago, the department sent word: Brown’s wrapped his look-see into the incident, and he’s handed down his punishment to officer Jimmy Hollis, a 19-year veteran of the department. Says the release, Hollis has received a one-day suspension and has been restricted from working off-duty jobs for 60 days. So, then: What now happens to Benavides’s case — not to mention those charged with “improper use of a sidewalk”? To the release we go:
The protestor that was pushed from the planter was subsequently arrested for Assault on a Public Servant. In the interest of justice, Chief Brown has requested the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office to now process this case as if it were a Grand Jury Referral. This will mean that the District Attorney’s Office, at the request of Chief Brown, will present the case to the Grand Jury without arguing for or against an indictment This will allow the decision on whether or not an indictment is appropriate to rest solely with the Grand Jury.
Also in the interest of justice, Police Chief Brown has requested the City Attorney’s Office to dismiss all “Use of Sidewalk” charges issued during the protest on that date.
And that is all the department has to say about that.
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