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Crime & Justiceby Fern Shen11:45 amJul 18, 20160

Rice not guilty in death of Freddie Gray

Third of six Baltimore police officers cleared of charges

Above: Lt. Brian Rice, the latest Baltimore police officer to be cleared of charges in connection with the death of Freddie Gray. (abc7.com)

The most senior police officer to be charged in the death of Freddie Gray today was cleared of all charges – the latest verdict in a case that has put Baltimore in the middle of the national debate over police misconduct, but so far has yielded no convictions.

Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry G. Williams found Lt. Brian Rice, 42, not guilty of involuntary manslaughter, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment, an opinion announced today at a downtown Baltimore courthouse.

A crowd composed mostly of media assembled outside the Circuit Court building to hear the verdict.

During the trial, Williams had dismissed a second-degree assault charge against Rice. Prosecutors dropped a second misconduct charge at the start of the trial.

Rice was one of six city police officers charged by State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby in the police-custody death of the 25-year-old West Baltimore man.

Prosecutors have said Gray’s death took place during a “rough ride” in the police van used to transport him on the day of his arrest on April 19, 2015.

They alleged Rice had caused Gray’s death by failing to secure him in a seat belt in the van, where they say he suffered the spinal cord injuries that led to his death a week after his arrest.

Earlier this year, Williams had acquitted two other officers charged in the case, Officer Edward Nero and Officer Caesar Goodson, Jr.

Sgt. William Porter, the first city police officer to stand trial in Gray’s death, and the only one to elect a jury trial, had his case end in a mistrial when the 12-member jury could not reach a verdict.

Mayor calls for “Patience”

Rice could have faced up to 10 years in prison had he been convicted of the most serious count of manslaughter.

Rice, identified as the first to pursue Gray, could not be said to have failed to secure Gray out of “poor judgment or error,” prosecutors had argued.

But Rice’s defense attorneys said his actions were justified because Gray was combative and the crowd surrounding the van at the scene of the arrest was restive as well.

In the aftermath of the latest verdict in the volatile case, which sparked protests, a riot and a citywide “uprising” movement, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake issued the following statement:

“Now that the criminal case has come to an end, Lt. Rice will face an administrative review by the police department. This has been a very difficult time for our city, and I thank the community for their patience during this time and ask their continued respect for the judicial process as we move forward.”

The Democratic mayoral nominee, Sen. Catherine E. Pugh, also called for restraint today.

“Now that a verdict has been delivered, the city must continue to exercise patience and respect for the judicial process,” Pugh said in a statement to the media. “Even though there will be disagreements on this outcome, we have an opportunity to continue the public dialogue around police and community interaction – it is not an easy conversation but a necessary one if we are to solve the longstanding problems that exist.”

The decision is likely to renew calls by the police union and others for the remaining cases – against Officer Garrett Miller and Sgt. Alicia White – to be dropped. Porter is scheduled to be retried on Sept. 6.

Lt. Gene Ryan, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #3, is scheduled to make a statement later today.

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