DON LEMON FORMALLY ARRAIGNED, PLEADS NOT GUILTY ON CHARGES STEMMING FROM VIRAL MINNESOTA CHURCH STORMING
The defendants were identified in the indictment as Nekima Valdez Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen, William Scott Kelly, Don Renaldo Lemon, Jerome Deangelo Richardson, Jamael Lydell Lundy, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Ellyse Fort, Ian Davis Austin, Aziza Mohammed Aboud, Max Richard Adamson, Michael Walker Beute, Ezra Chaim Pye Blumenfeld, Shane Ryan Bollman, Kelly Ann Carey, Monique Cassandra Cullars-Doty, Tiffany Lynn Dunlap, Andrew Jared Edwards, Rachel Rose Goligoski, Amelia Cristin Hansa, Ariel Hauptman, Krista Erin Hogan, Heather Danielle Lewis, Danielle Andrea Matthias, Catie Anne Michaelson, Eric Ryan Michaelson, David Anthony Okar, Jarmel James Perry, Cheryl Ann Persigehl, Emmar Monike Pineda-Moreno , Spencer Michael Rodriguez-Bocanegra, Katherine Elizabeth Shaw, Satara Diann Strong Allen, Charles Lee Swenson, Robyn Elise Swenson, Thomas Matthew Tier, Lee Elizabeth Wiedeman Tuggle, John Donald Vergin and Mark David Weinfurter.
The indictment alleges that the group "conspired and agreed with one another to oppress, threaten, and intimidate multiple persons, including the clergy, staff, and congregants of the Cities Church."
The indictment states that Armstrong, Allen, Strong and Cullars-Doty, along with others, "organized" the disruption, which they dubbed "Operation Pullup." They allegedly promoted it through Instagram and Facebook. The defendants allegedly met at a shopping center prior to the church disruption to coordinate it, the indictment says.
"Once at the Church, all of the defendants entered the Church to conduct a takeover-style attack and engaged in various acts in furtherance of the conspiracy," the indictment reads.
The defendants are also accused of "aiding and abetting one another, by use of force, threat of force, and physical obstruction, intentionally injured, intimidated, and interfered with, and attempted to injure, intimidate, and interfere with multiple persons" who were merely trying to worship.