Protest trial awaits closing arguments, then jury deliberation

The fate of two people accused of trespassing on Dakota Access pipeline’s easement in Calhoun County will wait until later this week.
Attorneys concluded witness testimony – including appearances from defendants Tosun Mahmud Fitil and Emma Schmit – on Friday, but Magistrate Andrew Smith opted to ask the jury to return to court Thursday afternoon for closing arguments and deliberation.
Fitil and Schmit are both charged with misdemeanor trespassing; they face fines and court fees of several hundred dollars if convicted.
Calhoun County Assistant Attorney Ricki Osborn Stubbs told jurors in her opening argument the case was a simple one – Fitil and Schmit were among a group of protesters who crossed a harvested bean field last October and deliberately entered the pipeline construction site and easement. 
Read more in the Oct. 18 edition.