URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — A second individual involved in the disturbances at a pro-Palestinian demonstration on the University of Illinois campus last year has confessed to charges in court.
According to court documents, Sachi Roy, 22, appeared on Wednesday at a pretrial session facing charges of felony mob action and misdemeanor obstruction of a police officer. These charges mirrored those against eight others linked to the protest held at Alma Mater on April 26, 2024.
At her pretrial appearance, Roy consented to a plea agreement where she admitted guilt to the obstruction charge, resulting in the dismissal of the mob action charge. Judge Roger Webber accepted her guilty plea, consequently imposing a sentence of one year of conditional discharge alongside 100 hours of community service.
The plea deal and the sentencing terms are also identical or near identical to how four other defendants saw their cases resolved. Victor Smith, Joseph Kleckner, George Vassilatos and Yafa Issa either pleaded guilty or were found guilty of obstruction and were sentenced to conditional discharge and community service.
Another defendant, George Young, saw his case dismissed.
Three other defendants still have open cases against them, but court records show two of those cases will be resolved in the next month.
Christopher Zelle was originally charged with two felonies — Class 2 aggravated battery to a peace officer and Class 4 mob action — but not obstruction of an officer. That charge was added two days after Zelle and his attorneys appeared in court for a status hearing on June 16.
That day, they indicated to Judge Webber that an agreement had been reached with the state, and Webber scheduled a plea hearing for July 25.
Webber is also overseeing the case of Arthur Paganini, who indicated earlier in June that he too reached an agreement. HIs plea hearing is set for Aug. 6.
The ninth and final defendant facing charges in connection to the unrest — Elizabeth Sotiropoulos — is still in the pretrial phase of her case. She is due back in court on July 23.
