Jeff Olson

Good News: Jeff Olson Found Not Guilty (Of All 13 Charges) For Using Chalk On Sidewalk

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Before:

– California Man, Faces 13 Years In Jail For Writing Anti-Big Bank Messages In Water-Soluble Chalk (Huffington Post, June 25, 2013)

– Good News! Jeff Olson Found Not Guilty for Using Chalk on Sidewalk (Liberty Blitzkrieg, June 1, 2013):

In a bit of good news, San Diego man Jeff Olson has been acquitted by a jury of his peers for the heinous transgression of using water soluble chalk to write anti-bank messages on a public sidewalk in a case I highlighted last week. While this is a favorable outcome, the simple fact that Bank of America forced the city to go after this guy for 13 years in jail is a despicable travesty of the legal system.

From ABC News 10 in San Diego:

Jeffrey Olson not guilty of all 13 charges

SAN DIEGO – A 40-year-old man was acquitted Monday of 13 misdemeanor vandalism charges that stemmed from protest messages written in chalk in front of three Bank of America branches in San Diego.

Olson could have faced up to 13 years behind bars if convicted of all counts. Jurors began deliberating Friday.

Read moreGood News: Jeff Olson Found Not Guilty (Of All 13 Charges) For Using Chalk On Sidewalk

California Man, Faces 13 Years In Jail For Writing Anti-Big Bank Messages In Water-Soluble Chalk

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– California Man, Faces 13 Years In Jail For Writing Anti-Big Bank Messages In Chalk (Huffington Post, June 25, 2013):

Jeff Olson, a 40-year-old man from San Diego, Calif., will face jail time for charges stemming from anti-big bank messages he scrawled in water-soluble chalk outside Bank of America branches last year.

The San Diego Reader reported Tuesday that a judge had decided to prohibit Olson’s attorney from “mentioning the First Amendment, free speech, free expression, public forum, expressive conduct, or political speech during the trial.”

With that ruling, Olson must now stand trial on 13 counts of vandalism, charges that together carry a potential 13-year jail sentence and fines of up to $13,000.

“Oh my gosh,” Olson said on his way out of court on Tuesday. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

Read moreCalifornia Man, Faces 13 Years In Jail For Writing Anti-Big Bank Messages In Water-Soluble Chalk