18 Facing Federal Charges After Riots Outside US Courthouse in Portland

Federal officers arrest a woman after she crossed a fence line set up around the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse during a riot in Portland, Ore., on July 23, 2020. Nathan Howard/Getty Images

Eighteen people are facing charges for participating in rioting in Portland at a U.S. Courthouse.

The defendants were arrested between July 20 and July 23.

Large crowds have been gathering nightly and assaulting the courthouse and federal officers who are tasked with protecting it while local police officers stay away because of recent directives from city leaders.

U.S. Attorney Billy Williams announced on Friday the charges against the 18.

Five people were charged for alleged criminal conduct during rioting on July 20 that continued into the early hours of the next day.

Rioters next to a fire they set at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Ore., on July 22, 2020. Noah Berger/AP Photo

A rioter kicks an entrance to the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse after federal officers took shelter inside, in Portland, Ore., on July 21, 2020. Nathan Howard/Getty Images

Jennifer Kristiansen, 37, is charged with assaulting a federal officer; Zachary Duffly, 45, is charged with creating a disturbance; Wyatt Ash-Milby, 18, is charged with trespassing on federal property; and Caleb Ehlers, 23, and Paul Furst, 22, are charged with failing to comply with a lawful order.

Seven others were charged for allegedly committing crimes during rioting on the evening of July 21 or the early hours of July 22.

Jerusalem Callahan, 24, is charged with willfully damaging government property; Joseph Ybarra, 21, is charged with arson; Marnie Sager, 27, and Ella Miller, 26, are charged failing to comply with a lawful order; and Taylor Lemons, 31; Giovanni Bondurant, 19; and Gabriel Houston, 22, are charged with assaulting federal officers.

And six more were charged for alleged criminal conduct overnight July 22.

The remains of a fire and trash thrown over protective fencing, outside the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse in Portland, Ore., in an undated photograph. U.S. Attorney's Office

Graffiti on the outside of the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse in Portland, Ore., in an undated photograph. U.S. Attorney's Office

Joseph Lagalo, 37; Baily Dreibelbis, 22; Nicholas Kloiber, 26; David Hazan, 24; Hailey Holden, 30; and Cameron Knuetson, age unknown, are charged with failing to comply with a lawful order.

As far as prosecutors know, all 18 are local residents.

The defendants made their first appearances in federal court this week and were ordered released pending jury trials or other follow-up court proceedings.

The U.S. Marshals Service, part of the Department of Justice, and the Federal Protective Service, part of the Department of Homeland Security, are jointly investigating the cases. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon is prosecuting them.

The office also released several pictures showing the outside of the courthouse during the day, between riots. Piles of trash, the remains of a fire, and graffiti were pictured.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told reporters last week that 43 federal arrests had been made as of July 4.

Authorities said federal law gives them jurisdiction to make arrests off of federal ground when the suspects commit crimes on federal property.

“We’re not going to allow somebody to walk up to federal property, assault a federal officer or agent, and because they walk off federal property, we’re not going to arrest or chase you,” Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan said.