Long overdue resolution

This incident happened more than a year ago, so I'm not sure why it took so long to resolve. Regardless, the right decision was made. 

The Otsego truck driver who drove into a massive protest on the Interstate 35W bridge last summer in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder will see the two criminal charges against him dropped if he remains law-abiding for the next year.

Bogdan Vechirko, 36, entered into what is called a "continuance without prosecution" agreement with Hennepin County prosecutors before District Judge William Koch on Friday.

Vechirko appeared via an online court session that lasted about 20 minutes. The arrangement is not a plea bargain and he didn't speak beyond saying, "yes sir" to Koch's questions about the process. Vechirko wore a suitcoat and dress shirt as he sat behind attorney Kevin DeVore.

In what was something of a surprise last October months after the incident, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman charged Vechirko with threats of violence, a felony, and criminal vehicular operation, a gross misdemeanor. The prosecutor said Vechirko had admitted to investigators that he was "kind of in a hurry" and the investigation showed he sought to "scare" the protesters out of his path.

The incident was especially unsettling because it came amid days and nights of upheaval in the Twin Cities following Floyd's murder by former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin. Like Floyd's killing, the incident on the bridge was captured on surveillance cameras.

I've seen the surveillance footage and it appeared to me that Mr. Vechirko definitely slowed up as he approached the larger gathering. And while he admitted to attempts to scare the protestors in an effort to bypass them, it was obvious he wasn't looking to cause massive harm or injuries despite having ample opportunity to do so. 

The situation was inflamed in the immediate aftermath when the deplorable Ryan Winkler, who is also the MN House Majority Leader, took to Twitter to peddle unsubstantiated gossip.

Much like Tinky Winky's 2013 tweet referring to a Supreme Court Justice as an "Uncle Thomas," this one was attempted to be memory-holed within minutes. 

In the end, justice was not completely served. No, I'm not talking about the charges being dropped against Mr. Vechirko given I believe that was the right call. I'm referring to what happened to him once he came to a complete stop in his truck. He was attacked by a mob of protestors and had some personal items taken from the cab, yet it doesn't appear any suspects were sought in those crimes. Oh well, given what we've seen in Minneapolis over the past year, this instance of mob rule was merely a precedent-setting event.

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