PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) â An attorney for a Portland police officer has entered a not guilty plea on the officerâs behalf to a fourth-degree assault charge involving his alleged actions during a protest last year.
Corey Budworth waived his appearance at arraignment Monday in Multnomah County Circuit Court, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
A grand jury last month indicted Budworth on the misdemeanor charge, accusing him of striking a woman in the head with a baton. It was the first time a Portland police officer has faced prosecution over striking or firing at someone during a protest.
A team of 50 police officers who served on a specialized crowd-control unit in Oregon and had responded to Portlandâs ongoing, often violent protests against racial injustice and police brutality last year resigned en masse after Budworth s indictment.
US police very nervous about officer-initiated enforcement as gun violence soars
abc17news.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from abc17news.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Portland police commander on Hannity : Riot squad resigning was a long time coming
foxnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from foxnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Amongst those many controversial incidents is the one involving Jacobs, who was working as a photojournalist at the time. The assault on Jacobs has led Budworth to be indicted for criminal assault. While the police have dubbed it political , others have slammed the cops for attacking the press. However, the unit Budworth was a part of has decided to stick with their colleague, leaving the city without a unit to respond to protests at the moment.
Portland police disperse a crowd on September 23, 2020 in Portland, United States. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
Who is Corey Budworth?
Little is known about the 40-year-old Budworth, as we couldn t find a public Facebook account in his name. According to records, he joined the PPB in July 2015, and was serving on the force s Rapid Response Team (RRT) at the time of the Portland protests in 2020. The incident with Jacobs was not the first time Budworth was in the press, but previously he was noted for his community service.