Sexual assault charge against Jacob Blake dismissed in plea agreement

A sexual assault charge against Jacob Blake, the Black man shot in the back by police in August, touching off weeks of protests in Wisconsin, was dropped Friday, according to court records.

Appearing via Zoom,Blake pleaded guilty to two counts of disorderly conduct and domestic abuse and was sentenced to two years of probation, Kenosha County court records showed.

In the deal, one count of criminal trespassing and one count of third-degree sexual assault and domestic abuse were dropped.

The charges stem from an incident in May, which was believed to be the reason for his attempted arrest by Kenosha police officers on Aug. 23. A bystander's cellphone video from the August incident appeared to show Blake trying to walk away from officers before he was shot at close range in the back.

Rusten Sheskey was identified as the officer who shot Blake.

Blake previously pleaded not guilty to trespassing, sexual assault and disorderly conduct. The three charges are related to an incident at the home of Blake's girlfriend. His trial had been set to begin Monday.

Blake's attorney and the prosecutor overseeing the case could not be immediately reached for comment late Friday afternoon.

The police shooting of Blake touched off days of protests against police brutality and systemic racism.

Prosecutors say Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, of Antioch, Illinois, went to Kenosha during the protests and opened fire on two men, Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, killing them and wounding a third man, Gaige Grosskreutz.

Rittenhouse has been charged with two counts of felony homicide in addition to attempted homicide, possession of a dangerous weapon while under the age of 18 and reckless endangerment, court records show.

Defense lawyers have said that Rittenhouse acted in self-defense and that he was there to try to protect businesses.