IOWA CITY, Iowa — Prosecutors in Iowa have filed a rarely used leak charge against Black Lives Matter protesters accused of stealing a confidential police document…
IOWA CITY, Iowa —
Prosecutors in Iowa have filed a rarely used leak charge against Black Lives Matter protesters accused of stealing a confidential police document and displaying it during a television news broadcast.
Two protesters are charged with unauthorized dissemination of intelligence data, a felony that carries up to five years in prison.
The Iowa Judicial Branch says it’s only the second time that the charge has been filed since 2010. It’s intended to punish officers and others who share information that could undermine criminal investigations or violate privacy protections.
The document in question was a Des Moines Police Department bulletin that officers and state troopers had with them while patrolling a July 1 protest at the Iowa Capitol. The bulletin included photos of suspects who were wanted in the destruction of a Des Moines police car during a June 20 protest.
Alexandria Dea, 26, stole the intelligence bulletin from the back pocket of an officer’s pants during a confrontation between officers and protesters, which began after officers arrested three of the suspects inside the Capitol, according to a criminal complaint.
