Man accused of harassing judge in ex-cop Kim Potter’s manslaughter trial
A Minnesota man has been charged with harassment after allegedly live-streaming himself entering a building he believed to be the home of the judge presiding over the trial of Kim Potter, a former police officer charged with manslaughter for her role in the death of Daunte Wright.
Potter, who shot Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, after allegedly confusing her gun for her Taser during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, about 10 miles northwest of Minneapolis, on April 11, 2021.
Potter’s trial is set to begin Wednesday.
According to reports, Cortez Rice, 32, was among a group protesting Judge Regina Chu’s decision to not allow cameras and audio recording during the upcoming trial. The group gathered outside a home believed to be Chu’s residence on Nov. 6.
Rice is accused of entering the apartment building and traveling to the 12th floor. Video, which Rice broadcast on YouTube, shows him in one of the building’s hallways.
“We on her heels,” he said in the video, according to law enforcement. “...We want cameras. The people deserve to know.”
Rice then returned to the building’s lobby and told other protesters which unit he believed to be Chu’s.
“We demand transparency,” he yells in the video. “We’d hate you to get kicked out of your apartment.”
Days later, on Nov. 9, Chu reversed her decision and, citing COVID-19 concerns, allowed for cameras to be allowed in the courtroom to televise the trial.
Chu later told investigators she “believed she was the target of Rice and the other protesters,” and that “it was her belief the intention was to intimidate her and to interfere with the judicial process.”
On Nov. 24, a warrant was issued after Rice was charged with felony harassment with aggravated violations, tampering with a juror and retaliating against a judicial officer.
Rice was detained after he was pulled over for speeding in Waukesha County, Wis., on Nov. 29, according to NBC News. He is set to be extradited to Minnesota to face the charges.
The jury for Potter’s trial was seated last week and opening statements will begin Wednesday. The defense and prosecutors met with Judge Chu on Monday to negotiate proposed jury instructions as well as how much defense testimony will be given over to character witnesses. Chu also decided autopsy photos could be shown during the trial but the images would not be broadcast, according to Fox 9.
Chu also said she is prepared to instruct the jury to not hold it against Potter if she chooses to forgo testifying in her own defense.
