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Man accused of marching with burning torch pleads guilty to lesser charges
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Man accused of marching with burning torch pleads guilty to lesser charges

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

Dallas Jerome Nicholas Medina, 32, of Ravenna, Ohio, was initially indicted on a charge of intimidation, but pleaded guilty Oct. 31 in Albemarle County Circuit Court to a reduced charge of misdemeanor disorderly conduct and will not serve any prison sentence. Daily progress reported.

“It seemed like a reasonable outcome for everybody, a reasonable compromise,” Medina’s attorney, 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, when a group of torch-carrying white nationalists marched through the University of Virginia campus, some chanting, “Jews will not replace us.” He was the fourth participant to take a plea deal.

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

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

When asked if she wanted to comment, Medina was reluctant.

“I have to go home,” he told The Daily Progress. “I’m sorry.”