This guy is going to be a guest of the government for a while. I hope he likes prison food because he’s about to get a LOT of it.
On Friday, Gage Halupowski, 24, was sentenced to nearly 6 years in prison for hitting Adam Kelly on the head with a baton during dueling protests in downtown Portland in June.
Gage Halupowski pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in connection with the June 29 attack on Adam Kelly outside The Nines Hotel along Southwest Morrison Street. Halupowski was identified as one of several masked, black-clothed demonstrators seen on video hitting and pepper-spraying Kelly after he appeared to come to the aid of another man who’d been attacked during the protests, authorities said.
The attack was caught on video.
Here is the attack on Kelly: (WARNING GRAPHIC)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw3ghe9lmnY
Here’s an alternate angle of the attack:
CONTENT WARNING: Police have declared a civil disturbance after a violent brawl broke out between left- and right-wing protesters today. Video by Sergio Olmos/Underscore. Full story: https://t.co/dJMlSoDkg6 pic.twitter.com/fx8hELNziW
— Portland Tribune (@ThePortlandTrib) June 29, 2019
It appears that Kelly was coming to the aid of an older man (identified as John Blum) who was being attacked by multiple assailants when he was hit on the head several times by masked individuals. After the attack, Kelly wrote on Facebook that he suffered a concussion and required 25 staples to close the wounds.
It was a senseless attack on an unarmed man who was coming to another man’s aid who was being swarmed and covered in his own blood.
Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Melissa Marrero said Halupowski hitting Kelly in the back of the head with an expandable baton was “completely unexplainable, completely avoidable and didn’t need to happen.”
She said Kelly and Halupowski both were lucky that Kelly survived his injuries.
Defense attorney Edward Kroll said Halupowski made “a really terrible decision” and that Kelly didn’t deserve what happened to him, but the attorney believed the agreed-upon 70-month prison sentence was “one of the harshest sentences I’ve seen for someone with no criminal background and young age.”
Maybe Halupowski will remember this 6-year sentence the next time he decides to hit an unarmed man in the head with a baton — an injury that could have killed him.
Also, is now the appropriate time to mention that Halupowski was arrested along with two others one week before he decided to don the mask again and smash Adam Kelly on the head with a baton, or nah?
Halupowski was one of three people arrested during rival demonstrations between far-right and anti-fascist groups on June 23. Police at one point declared the protests a civil disturbance.
At least eight people were injured, including three police officers and conservative writer Andy Ngo.
The two other people arrested, James Stocks and Maria Dehart, were charged with harassment and disorderly conduct. Stocks, 21, pleaded no contest to harassment and was sentenced Tuesday to one year of probation and 50 hours of community service. He admitted to throwing a milkshake at a group of right-wing supporters.
Dehart, 23, has pleaded not guilty to her charges and is scheduled to next appear in court on Nov. 13, court records show.
Pardonez-moi for not feeling much sympathy for Halupowski.
Additional charges of unlawful use of a weapon, attempted assault of a public safety officer and interfering with a peace officer were dropped as part of Halupowski’s plea deal.
Court documents show that a Portland police officer saw Halupowski hit Kelly, followed him and pointed him out to other officers who helped arrest him. He was accused of punching another officer in the arm while being taken into custody.
Source: The Oregonian
Gage Halupowski has learned a valuable lesson: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
