Charges Dropped Against Activist Accused Of Harassing Kim Potter Trial Judge

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Charges have been dropped against an activist who was accused of harassing the judge in the Kim Potter trial.

In December, Cortez Rice was arrested in Wisconsin after being charged with a felony count of harassment involving retaliation against a judicial officer. He was then transferred into the custody of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, online records showed.

According to a criminal complaint, Rice led a protest on Nov. 6, 2021 at what he believed was the apartment of Judge Regina Chu, who is overseeing the Potter manslaughter trial in connection to the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright.

In an interview with WCCO, Rice said that he went there to see if she would be able to hear protesters if they were demonstrating outside the building. He said he wasn't trying to intimidate Chu or get her to change her mind on any decisions she's made.

According to court documents, the Hennepin Court judge dismissed the charges against Rice after prosecutors conceded that Rice didn't put Chu or her family in reasonable fear of substantial bodily harm or emotional distress.

Rice's son, Jahmari Rice, is the student who was shot and killed outside a Richfield school on Feb. 1. The dropped charges come on the same day two teenagers were charged with murder in the Richfield shootings.