Non-binary agitator pleads GUILTY to orchestrating anti-ICE mob assault on federal agents in Spokane

( Post Millennial )

A non-binary leftist activist pleaded guilty on Wednesday to felony conspiracy charges related to a violent, organized anti-US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demonstration outside a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) building in Spokane, Washington, in June.

Mikki Pike Hatfield, 34, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to impede or injure officers in exchange for an 18-month deferred sentence. The defendant's assault on a federal officer charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement. The deferred sentence allows Hatfield to swap the felony charge for a misdemeanor as long as he complies with a set of conditions. However, the defendant faces six years in federal prison if he fails to do so.

Hatfield, who uses "they/them" pronouns, was among a group of nine individuals who "conspired" to assault and impede federal officers during a June 11 anti-ICE protest outside the Homeland Security office in Spokane. The group physically blocked a bus being used to transport illegal immigrants to an ICE detention facility in Tacoma, Washington, releasing air from its tires and painting the glass, rendering it unsafe to drive, according to court documents.

Despite dispersal orders being given, the group continued to engage in unlawful acts.

When federal officers attempted to leave the building through a secure parking lot on the south end of the property, Hatfield and his co-conspirators blocked the driveway and/or pushed officers attempting to remove them from the property. Hatfield and the group "placed trash cans, sand/cement bags, benches, signs, and other objects in front of doors and exits to block the exit of federal officers and detainees from the federal facility," court documents state.

Spokane Police arrived on scene to assist and deployed crowd control measures, including inert smoke and pepper balls at the feet of those refusing to leave. According to the indictment, Hatfield picked up one of the deployed incendiary devices and threw it in the direction of Spokane Police and SpokaneNon- County Sheriff's Office deputies.

The violent demonstration was initially organized by former Spokane City Council President Benjamin Stuckart, 53, who issued a call for mass mobilization on social media to block the transport van. He has been charged with conspiracy to impede or injure officers.

"As long as Mr. Hatfield does well on pretrial release and his supervision and his conditions, and he doesn't violate any of those conditions, then we'll be back in 18 months, where we will move to withdraw [the felony plea]," Hatfield's attorney, Nick Vieth, told The Center Square.

As part of the deferred sentence conditions, Hatfield must pay $50 per month toward more than $10,000 in restitution with the other defendants. He has been prohibited from possessing weapons, such as firearms and destructive devices, and must refrain from unlawful use of controlled substances. Additionally, Hatfield has been ordered to work full-time, have zero communication with individuals engaged in criminal activity, and must comply with a probation officer, according to court documents.

Several other co-conspirators, including Stuckart, have upcoming court hearings to change their pleas to guilty.