Prosecutors have levelled two criminal charges against a Republican member of the Oregon house of representatives who let far-right rioters into the state capitol in December.
Mike Nearman was charged with official misconduct in the first degree and criminal trespass in the second degree. Oregon state police struggled to force the rioters out of the Capitol, which was closed to the public, on 21 December as lawmakers met in emergency session to deal with economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
The Marion county deputy district attorney, Matthew Kemmy, told Nearman’s attorney, Jason Short, in a letter his client must appear in court on 11 May or face arrest.
Short was out of his office late on Friday and not available for comment. Nearman did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Nearman was seen on security cameras letting violent protesters into the Oregon state capitol. They attacked authorities with bear spray. Outside the building, some protesters assaulted reporters and broke glass doors.
JUST IN: surveillance video at the Oregon Capitol shows @Oregon_GOP Rep. Mike Nearman opening the door for right wing demonstrators on December 21st. Nearman is under @ORStatePolice investigation. https://t.co/rw4kgPasvS pic.twitter.com/d5f9fXwqI5
— Dan Tilkin (@DanTilkinKOIN6) January 8, 2021
In January, after Nearman’s role became clear from the security footage, the state house speaker, Tina Kotek, called for his resignation and stripped his committee assignments.
“Representative Nearman put every person in the Capitol in serious danger,” Kotek said on 11 January.
She also referred to the deadly storming of the US Capitol days before, on 6 January, by supporters of then-president Donald Trump.
“As we tragically saw last week during the insurrection at the United States Capitol, the consequences [here] could have been much worse had law enforcement not stepped in so quickly,” Kotek said.
This is the next sequence of events at the Oregon capital. pic.twitter.com/svUgrxZvda
— Dan Tilkin (@DanTilkinKOIN6) January 8, 2021
According to court records, the misconduct charge alleges Nearman, from the town of Independence west of Salem, “did unlawfully and knowingly perform an act … with intent to obtain a benefit or to harm another”.
The charge is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum 364 days in prison and a $6,250 fine. The trespass charge accused him of unlawfully letting others into the Capitol. It is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum of 30 days in jail and a $1,250 fine.