1:15pm | “Occupy Long Beach” protestor Jonathan Glen Davidson was sentenced today to 80 hours of community service with CalTrans, where he will pick up trash along local freeways.
Davidson, 42, of Cerritos, was also placed on probation for 3 years by Superior Court Judge J.D. Lord. If he violates any term of probation, Davidson could receive up to 180 days in jail.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Lord took into consideration Davidson’s prior criminal conduct, which included recent convictions for assaulting an Orange County police officer and possession of drug paraphernalia. His assault conviction stems from a 2008 incident where Westminster police officers attempted to take Davidson into custody on an arrest warrant. Davidson fought the officers and one officer suffered a broken finger during the struggle.
Long Beach Deputy City Prosecutor Stephanie Dowds handled the trial and the sentencing.
8:00am | A protestor associated with “Occupy Long Beach” was convicted yesterday, November 28, by a jury for camping in a downtown Long Beach park. Protestor Jonathan Glen Davidson, 42, of Cerritos, California, was convicted of a misdemeanor violation of Long Beach Municipal Code section 16.16.010(k).
Davidson was arrested on October 30, after remaining in Long Beach’s Lincoln Park for more than 30 minutes past the 10:00pm park closing time. On that date, Long Beach Police Department officers approached Davidson and asked him to leave, but he refused. After giving Davidson numerous verbal warnings, police officers took him into custody without incident.
“This is the first of several cases in Long Beach involving protestors camping in the park,” said Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert. “Protestors clearly have the right to express themselves, but they need to exercise their rights within the law.”
The case was handled by Deputy City Prosecutor Stephanie Dowds. The jury returned a verdict of Guilty after deliberating for 23 minutes.