Jacob Blake pleads not guilty to domestic abuse charges from hospital bed in Wisconsin
- Blake was shot seven times in the back in Kenosha in front of his three young children on August 23 as police sought him in connection with the charges
- The incident sparked protests across the US over police misconduct and racism, and visits by Donald Trump and Joe Biden to Kenosha
A complaint accuses Blake of criminal trespass, third-degree sexual assault and disorderly conduct based on statements by his ex-girlfriend at the time, the mother of three of his children, who told police Blake broke into her home on May 3 and sexually assaulted her before stealing her truck and debit card.
Blake, who was left paralysed from the waist down by the shooting, was propped up in his hospital bed, dressed in a blue shirt and yellow tie, with his lawyer, Patrick Cafferty, sitting in a chair to his side. Cafferty noted that Blake had been working as a painter and that he had no prior criminal record or convictions in any state.
Blake raised his hand to greet Loren Keating, a Kenosha County judicial court commissioner, when addressed, saying “Yes sir” when asked if he could hear clearly and whether he understood the terms of his US$10,000 signature bond.
“The state recognises that these are serious charges but also that the defendant has serious injuries and he’s recovering at the hospital,” said Zeke Wiedenfeld, a prosecutor.
The court set trial to begin on November 9 with jury selection. The complaint does not identify the ex-girlfriend by name.