San Diego : Prosecutors Bite Back With Appeal
Prosecutors have appealed a court ruling dismissing charges against a UC San Diego student who bit an FBI agent during a campus demonstration last spring.
The U.S. attorney’s office filed arguments with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday, contending that District Judge Gordon Thompson Jr. exceeded his authority in throwing out the felony indictment of student Kristen Crabtree.
Crabtree was charged with assaulting a federal officer after chomping on the finger of FBI Special Agent Marene Allison when the agent grabbed at her camera during the May 14 protest. Crabtree, a resident adviser at UCSD’s Third College, was taking pictures for a leftist student newspaper. Allison said she suspected Crabtree was trying to provoke her or create a confrontation.
In August, Thompson threw out the case and criticized prosecutors for ever filing the charge. He chided Crabtree for biting Allison but said the agent initiated the episode through her use of force.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
