Another Not Guilty Verdict

On February 14, 2020, a Manitowoc County jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty in an Attempted Murder of a Police Officer case. Attorney Kirk B. Obear of Birdsall Obear & Associates, S.C. represented the Two Rivers man who was accused of attempting to kill a police officer who was on his property investigating an allegation that human remains were located on the man's premises.

Although the investigation was found to have been based on faulty reporting and revealed only the bones of a small animal, law enforcement officers were attempting to secure the property when a skirmish broke out between the property owner and a Two Rivers police officer. Testimony and other evidence at trial established that the officer "football tackled" the man and threw him into a pile of debris. After the dust settled, the officer had two knife wounds and also had damage to his ballistic vest - a fact that the prosecution argued was evidence of the defendant's intent to kill the officer.

Attorney Obear established that in spite of every police officer on scene being equipped with body camera equipment, not a single officer was able to activate their body cameras to capture the incident in question. The prosecution called numerous police officers and expert witnesses in an attempt to convict the defendant. Ultimately, the jury agreed with Attorney Obear that the prosecution had not met it's burden of proof and acquitted the man of Attempted Murder.