Jacob Blake appeared in Wisconsin criminal court via teleconference from his hospital bed this afternoon and pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including sexual assault, stemming from an incident that predated his shooting.
The 29-year-old, who was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot seven times in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 23, appeared in good spirits as he reclined on the bed at Froedtert Hospital wearing a light-blue dress shirt and a yellow tie.
Appearing via Zoom, Blake raised his hand to greet Loren Keating, a Kenosha County judicial court commissioner.
Jacob Blake is seen publicly for the first time since his shooting during a plea hearing from his hospital bed. Blake, who is partially paralyzed, raised his hand to greet the presiding official
Blake pleaded not guilty to third-degree sexual assault, misdemeanor trespassing and disorderly conduct
Blake waived his right to a preliminary hearing and pleaded not guilty to counts of third-degree sexual assault, misdemeanor trespassing and disorderly conduct.
His lawyer Patrick Cafferty, sitting in a chair beside him, noted that Blake had been working as a painter and that he had no prior criminal record or convictions in any state.
Keating explained his rights to Blake and bound him over for trial. Jury selection is expected to get under way in that case on November 9.
Blake did not speak during the appearance beyond uttering, ‘Yes, sir,’ in response to the commissioner’s questions concerning his understanding of the proceedings.
Blake’s court appearance on Friday marked the first time that he was seen by the public since cellphone video showed him being shot by Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey during an attempt to serve him with a warrant related to an assault on his ex-girlfriend that was reported in July.
The woman, who is the mother of three of Blake’s children, told police that he broke into her home on May 3 and sexually assaulted her before stealing her truck and debit card.
Loren Keating, a Kenosha County judicial court commissioner (top left), bounded Blake over for trial in the domestic violence case
The Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office said that at the time of the police shooting Blake was wanted for the three charges to which he pleaded not guilty today.
‘The state recognizes 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 shooting, which was witnessed by Blake’s girlfriend and three children, sparked days of violent protests that made Wisconsin the epicenter 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 say 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-defense.
Earlier today, Blake’s father, Jacob Blake Sr, said his ‘happy-go-lucky’ son is optimistic for his future.
The younger Blake was released from intensive care this week and ‘is doing a little bit better,’ his father said.
Still, ‘from the waist down, no movement,’ Blake Sr. said. ‘He can’t move.’
On Thursday, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden met with Blake Sr and other family members for an hour on his visit to Kenosha. Jacob Blake spoke to Biden by phone from the hospital.
Officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin, were trying to serve Blake with an arrest warrant stemming from a domestic incident when a confrontation occurred and he was shot in the back
President Donald Trump traveled to Kenosha on Tuesday. He thanked law enforcement for their efforts in quelling violence and met with people whose businesses were destroyed in fires, but he did not meet with Blake’s family.
Blake Sr. said Trump made clear he has 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 Sr. 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 Sr. 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.
Jacob’s father, Jacob Blake Sr, pictured above attending the 2020 March on Washington last week, said on Friday his son is optimistic about his future
All three officers present when Blake was shot are on administrative leave during the investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
The state agency said police were sent to the scene after a woman reported her boyfriend was present and wasn’t supposed to be on the premises.
Blake’s attorney Ben Crump has said that Blake was trying to break up a domestic dispute.
The Justice Department has said a knife was recovered from an SUV he was leaning into when he was shot, but has not said whether he was holding it when officers tried to arrest him.
The man who made widely seen cellphone video of the shooting, 22-year-old Raysean White, said he saw Blake scuffling with three officers and heard them yell, “Drop the knife! Drop the knife!” before gunfire erupted. He said he didn´t see a knife in Blake´s hands.
Joe Biden met with community leaders Thursday at the Grace Lutheren Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after talking to shooting victim Jacob Blake by phone during a Milwaukee meeting with family members
President Donald Trump visited Kenosha on Tuesday after Democratic leaders told him not to come. He toured wreckage from the riots that broke out after Blake’s shooting and held a roundtable event with law enforcement and other community leaders
The Kenosha police union said Blake had the knife and refused orders to drop it. Blake fought with police, including putting one officer in a headlock, the union said. Police twice used a Taser, which did not stop Blake.
Blake Sr. 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. Blake Sr. said he has not talked with his son about what happened just prior to the shooting.
‘There’s nothing that my son did that justifies getting shot seven times in his back,’ Blake Sr. said. ‘Nothing.’