FARGO, N.D. (AP) - The North Dakota Supreme Court has thrown out a felony terrorizing conviction against a Lakota farmer who was involved in a standoff with police over a report of missing cattle.
A jury in 2013 found Rodney Brossart guilty of terrorizing, preventing arrest and failing to comply with state laws on wandering cattle. He was sentenced to six months in jail.
The justices said in a ruling released Monday that a judge should have told the jury what constitutes a threat and what qualifies as protected speech. The justices ordered a new trial on the terrorizing charge. The two misdemeanor convictions were upheld.
Brossart was arrested after a summer-long standoff with law enforcement in 2011. The case drew widespread attention because police used a drone to conduct surveillance on Brossart's farm.