Dr. Peter Wattsfound guilty of assaulting, resisting and obstructing US border guards.
There’s not a whole lot to the article, other than a quick overview. Dr. Watts has posted about the verdict on his site.
The press has frequently characterized the charge against me as “assaulting a federal officer”. The alleged (and discredited) “choking” episode has been repeated ad nauseum. Here at the Sarnia Best Western I don’t have the actual statute in front of me but it includes a lengthy grab-bag of actions, things like “assault”, “resist”, “impede”, “threaten”, “obstruct” — hell, “contradict” might be in there for all I know. And under “obstruct” is “failure to comply with a lawful order”, and it’s explicitly stated that violence on the part of the perp is not necessary for a conviction. Basically, everything from asking “Why?” right up to chain-saw attack falls under the same charge. And it’s all a felony.
Obviously, this is Dr. Watts’ take on it, so there’s probably another angle to look at it from. But as is, I believe him, and I find it all incredibly depressing.
Added:
Another post from Dr. Watts, with some clarifications
Boingboing post on the topic