OKC protester pleads guilty to arson
An Oklahoma City protester charged twice with terrorism last year said Friday “we have to find a way to actually do this peacefully.”
Eric Christopher Ruffin, 27, spoke out after pleading guilty to third-degree arson.
In a plea deal, prosecutors dropped both felony counts accusing him of violating the Oklahoma Anti-Terrorism Act.
He was sentenced to three years on probation and ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution.
“Of course, I’m not a terrorist,” he told reporters. “It was kind of funny … because, if you know me, then you’ll know that I’m like pro my community.”
He was one of five protesters charged with terrorism after an Oklahoma County sheriff ’s van was
burned and an Oklahoma City bail bonds business was damaged May 30.
“It was a crazy night,” he said. “We can’t allow other people … and other situations to cause us to actually get all riled up because they start damaging property and stuff like that.
“When that happens, somebody has to be the fall guy for it. Somebody has to pay for it. And, in this situation, it’s me.”
He was accused in the charges of encouraging others to burn the sheriff ’s van and CJ’s Bail Bonds.
The van was destroyed. The bail bonds business had $8,850 in damage from broken windows but did not catch on fire.
“Ultimately the vehicle was destroyed by fire along with all the equipment inside the vehicle,” a sheriff ’s deputy reported in a court affidavit. “Eric Ruffin recorded many of the events, including the fire, as they unfolded as he produced a Facebook Live video. Ruffin encouraged this behavior multiple times in the video.”
Encouraged property damage
In his plea paperwork, Ruffin acknowledged he encouraged people to destroy property and burn the sheriff ’s van.
“I made statements of encouragement and filmed it,” he admitted.
His guilty plea to the felony arson count involved only the sheriff ’s van. However, he agreed to pay restitution to the bail bonds business.
Under his deal, he will not have a criminal conviction on his record if he completes probation successfully.
He told reporters being labeled a terrorist cost him his state job in mental health work.
“Honestly, that night, basically, everything got out of hand, on the police’s end, on the protesters’ end. Just on every single part, it just got out of hand.
“Unfortunately, they had to basically put the rap on somebody.”
He specifically denied police reports that he can be heard on Facebook Live calling for a lighter at the bail bonds business.
“That wasn’t my voice, at all,” he said. He also said he didn’t break anything and didn’t burn anything that night. He said at one point he stopped people from breaking into a pharmacy.
George Floyd’s death
Protesters against police brutality and racial injustice turned out in large numbers in Oklahoma City on May 30 and 31.
The demonstrations came days after George Floyd was killed in Minnesota in police custody.
District Attorney David Prater made the decision in June to charge some protesters with terrorism and others with rioting.
The prosecutor was both praised and condemned for his get-tough stance.
Supporters said the charges would deter protesters in the future from turning violent.
His critics recalled how bomber Timothy McVeigh blew up the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995. They complained the DA has “seemingly forgotten” what terrorism is.
The ACLU of Oklahoma called the terrorism charges “nothing short of an abuse of power.”
Prater stood by his decision. “This is not Seattle,” he said June 26. “We’re not putting up with this lawlessness here.”
On June 28, he said, “These criminals have subverted peaceful protests and impaired the open discussion regarding race in our country. … When you act like a terrorist, you will be treated like a terrorist. All innocent citizens of Oklahoma County deserve to be protected.”
Prosecutors dropped terrorism charges against two protesters, Haley Lin Crawford and Sydney Lynch, after realizing they were 17 at the time.
Prosecutors on Thursday amended terrorism charges against protester IsaelAntonio Ortiz, 22, to rioting. He is next in court in May.
Still charged with terrorism is Malachai Davis, 19, of Edmond.