Prosecutors Drop Sexual Assault Charge Against Jacob Blake in Plea Deal

In this social network video released on by his lawyer Ben Crump, Jacob Blake delivers a message from a hospital bed in Kenosha, Wis., on Sept. 5, 2020. Attorney Crump Twitter account/AFP via Getty Images

Prosecutors this month dropped the sexual assault charge against Jacob Blake, the Wisconsin man who was shot by a police officer after resisting arrest.

Blake, who is in a rehabilitation facility in Illinois, saw the charge dropped as he pleaded guilty to two counts of disorderly conduct, the Kenosha News reported.

Both charges stem from interactions with the mother of his children, the same woman who filed the sexual assault charge.

“Honestly, your honor, although I pled guilty to this, I don’t consider myself to be guilty. I pretty much took this opportunity to get to see my children quicker,” Blake told Judge Bruce Schroder during the hearing.

Prosecutors said they dropped the sexual assault charge in part because the woman who made the accusations wouldn’t cooperate with them.

“This was an agreement reached partly because the victim in this matter was not responsive to the subpoena to appear in court,” Walworth County District Attorney Zeke Wiedenfeld said.

Wiedenfeld said the alleged victim has made calls to police concerning Blake and domestic violence since 2016.

While Blake has no criminal history as an adult, “his pattern and history gives credence and credibility to what the victim told officers at the time of this incident that we are sentencing for,” he added.

According to the criminal complaint obtained by The Epoch Times, Blake was charged in July with trespassing, third-degree sexual assault, and disorderly conduct.

A police officer stands guard in front of a burning business during a second night of rioting in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 24, 2020. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Blake was accused of having sex with a woman with the initials LNB on May 3 in Kenosha “without that person’s consent,” according to the complaint.

The same woman called the police on Aug. 23, reporting that her boyfriend was at a residence but not supposed to be there.

After officers arrived, they tried arresting Blake but he refused to cooperate and attempted to escape.

Blake walked around his vehicle, opened the driver’s side door, and leaned forward. While holding onto his shirt, officer Rusten Sheskey fired seven times towards Blake’s back.

Blake admitted during the investigation that he had a knife in his possession and investigators recovered a knife from the driver’s side floorboard of the vehicle.

Blake was rushed to a hospital. The shooting triggered protests and riots as people claimed it was unwarranted.

The shooting is still being reviewed and a decision on whether to press charges against any of the officers involved has not been made.