Jacob Blake, the 29-year-old black man whose shooting by a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, reignited protests across the US over racism and police brutality, pleaded not guilty on Friday to criminal charges filed before the shooting. 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 entered the plea through his lawyer during a live-streamed court hearing, his first public appearance since he was shot in the back by a Kenosha police officer on August 23. Joe Biden speaks to Jacob Blake and family as he visits flashpoint city of Kenosha 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. If convicted of the sex assault charge, Blake could be sentenced to as much as 10 years in prison. Meanwhile, Blake’s father said on Friday that his “happy-go-lucky” son is optimistic for his future, despite his paralysis. Jacob Blake Snr said the past two weeks have been “surreal” and “like a dream” and he is mentally worn out. He also said he had received death threats, which he could not talk about in detail. “It’s been hard on everybody,” said Blake Snr, who drove from North Carolina to be with his hospitalised son. The shooting set off days of protests that made Wisconsin the epicentre of the nation’s ongoing debate over police violence and racial injustice. Over three days, dozens of fires were set and some Kenosha businesses destroyed. On August 25, prosecutors said a 17-year-old from Illinois shot and killed two demonstrators . His attorneys say the teenager, who was patrolling the streets with a rifle, was acting in self-defence. Earlier this week, Blake Snr said another one of his sons had a nervous breakdown and was admitted to the hospital. Two days after that, members of the Blake family met Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in Kenosha. Jacob Blake spoke to Biden by phone from the hospital. US President Donald Trump travelled to Kenosha on Tuesday. He thanked law enforcement for their efforts in quelling violence and met people whose businesses were destroyed in fires, but he did not meet with Blake’s family. Trump visits Kenosha, calls anti-racism protests ‘domestic terror’ Blake Snr said Trump made clear he had no interest in his family. He said meeting with Biden and his wife was like speaking with an uncle and aunt. “He came in that room with sympathy, empathy, a caring nature,” Blake Snr said. “It was not an interview, it was not a political thing.” The Blake family told Biden that they want all police to be required to have body cameras, something the Kenosha officers did not have. Blake Snr said the family also told the former vice president they want police trained in de-escalation techniques. And they want the officer who shot Blake to be fired. All three officers present when Blake was shot are on administrative leave during the investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. There’s nothing that my son did that justifies getting shot seven times in his back. Jacob Blake Snr Blake Snr said that two hours before the shooting, he spoke with his son and a grandson who was celebrating a birthday. That child, along with two of Blake’s other children, were in the SUV when he was shot. He said he has not talked with his son about what happened just before the shooting. “There’s nothing that my son did that justifies getting shot seven times in his back,” Blake Snr said. “Nothing.” Blake was released from intensive care this week and “is doing a little bit better”. Still, “from the waist down, no movement”, Blake Snr said. “He can’t move.” Blake Snr said he talks with his son about what he will be able to do once he is discharged from hospital, rather than his limitations if he remains paralysed. “We’ll go fishing together in the chair,” he said. “I’ve got the perfect spot for us. Things of that nature, things that have nothing to do with the sickness or anything.”