“A Slap In The Face” Meridian Mayor on Idaho AG’s Move to dismiss
Well, it took only a short time for Idaho's new Attorney General, Raul Labrador, to make headlines. The attorney general issued a press release announcing that his office would seek to dismiss the charges against Sarah Brady. Mrs. Brady was arrested for violating an order during the pandemic that prohibited folks in Meridian from meeting in public. Her arrest occurred in a playground at a Meridian Park, which was part of a protest against the Covid restrictions.
Her arrest drew attention from around the world. She has appeared several times in court on the trespass charge. Mrs. Brady has apologized to the police department and said that she would continue to fight her battle in court. You can decide whether you agree with the arrest by watching the video below. The Meridian Police officer asked Mrs. Brady several times to leave before reluctantly arresting her.
The result of her arrest led to a large protest outside of the Meridian Police Department. The arresting officer's home was another site of protesters led by Ammon Bundy.
An Inside Look At The Meridian Mom's Arrest
The New Attorney General Moves To Dismiss
Attorney General Labrador gave several reasons why his office will seek to dismiss this case.
- First, there are no allegations that Ms. Brady injured any person or property, or that she physically resisted officers.
- Second, the evidence, itself, makes it far from certain that any reasonable jury would convict her.
- And third, the State has already expended far more resources than is typical of misdemeanor cases.
Attorney General Labrador said, “We know Idahoans have been dealing with significant government overreach. This case should have never been prosecuted. It has been a profound waste of precious taxpayer resources. Going forward, we will focus the people’s resources on prosecuting child exploiters and other serious criminals—not mothers who take their kids to the park.”
You can read the motion here.
Meridian Police and Mayor React
Meridian Mayor Robert Simison expressed his disappointment, the Attorney General’s apparent philosophy to selectively dismiss cases of his choosing and endorse illegal behavior is abhorrent. I support the people’s right to assemble for peaceful protest, but that right does not include ignoring lawful orders or being free from the legal ramifications of those actions. Unfortunately, this incident also led to harassment of our police officers at their private homes and doxing public servants.
These actions are distressing and Attorney General Labrador’s decision today is a breach of his oath of office to uphold the rule of law. If this is the tone he sets as Idaho’s top legal officer, I am concerned about what the future holds. Overall, the decision to dismiss this case is appalling, and a slap in the face of the Meridian police department, our public servants and law-abiding citizens of our state.
I call upon the Idaho Legislature to enact legislation to protect all Idahoans from harassment in their homes. Hopefully then something good can come from this unfortunate decision,” stated Mayor Simison.
Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea said, fortunately for the people of Idaho, our police officers are apolitical in carrying out their duties, unfortunately this can’t be said for the new Idaho Attorney General. The courts and attorneys involved in this case prior were very clear on the merits of this case.
Conversations with the AG’s Office as late as Friday December 30, 2022, indicated the case would still move forward. The question we have is, what changed since Friday. We certainly hope this is not the type of political grandstanding we should expect coming out of the Attorney General’s Office moving forward. We are supposed to be a nation ruled by law, not a nation ruled by politics.”