Man charged with participating in march with flaming torch has pleaded guilty to lesser charge

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Another man charged with carrying a flaming torch with the intent to intimidate during a 2017 rally at the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville has agreed to a plea deal.

Dallas Jerome Nicholas Medina, 32, of Ravenna, Ohio, was originally indicted on a felony intimidation charge, but pleaded guilty on Oct. 31 in Albemarle County Circuit Court to a reduced charge of misdemeanor disorderly conduct and will not serve any jail time, The Daily Progress reported.

“It seemed like a reasonable outcome for everybody, a reasonable compromise,” Medina’s lawyer, Mike Hallahan, told The Daily Progress after the hearing.

Medina’s case is among more than a dozen stemming from an event on Aug. 11, 2017. That’s when a group of white nationalists carrying torches marched through the campus of the University of Virginia, some chanting, “Jews will not replace us.” He was the forth participant to enter a plea deal.

In addition to the four misdemeanor pleas, six people have been convicted of felonies and one case ended with a mistrial after jurors failed to reach a verdict.

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Lawton Tufts, who prosecuted Medina, said in court that three factors warranted the lesser charge: he had no prior criminal record, he was not accused of assaulting anyone and he helped stop a fight.

When asked if he wanted to comment, Medina was reticent.

“I got to go home,” he told The Daily Progress. “Sorry.”

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, The Daily Progress.

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