Congratulations to Joe Metcalfe on an unpopular Jury Trial Win!

Mr. Metcalfe’s client was a face mask protester who was protesting in Eugene.  He got into a scuffle and was charged with Burglary 1, Assault 3, Assault 4, Harassment, Disorderly Conduct, and Trespass 2.  The total incarceration sentence possible if convicted of all charges was 26 years and 6 months.  The trial took place in a college town where, generally speaking, the pool of people for the jury tended to not share the perspective on many things held by Mr. Metcalfe’s client.  At trial, Mr. Metcalfe acknowledged all of the issues with his client and focused the jury on the facts of the case.  The argument was that ‘popular opinions about what happened are not the facts. . . the facts matter’.  Once Mr. Metcalfe finished his trial work, the jury returned Not Guilty findings on the Burglary 1, Assault 3, Assault 4, and Harassment charges.  That left convictions for the two tracking misdemeanors of Disorderly Conduct and Trespass 2.  Those convictions resulted in his client receiving one day of jail rather than years of prison.