California Professor Charged Following Protests
A professor from the University of California has been charged with serious offenses this summer, following an incident where he allegedly retaliated against federal agents during a raid on a cannabis farm, as reported by the Justice Department.
Jonathan Anthony Caravelo, who is 37 years old and teaches mathematics and philosophy at California State University Channel Islands, faced charges for assaulting a federal officer in connection with protests that erupted over immigration enforcement at a Camarillo farm.
According to prosecutors, when the federal agents deployed tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, Caravelo picked up one of the canisters and ran towards the officers.
If convicted, he could face a hefty prison sentence of up to 20 years.
The clashes occurred on July 10 during a large-scale operation by Homeland Security and U.S. Border Patrol, aimed at detaining over 300 undocumented workers. In response, protesters gathered at the Glass House farm, attempting to obstruct the agents.
What began as a protest quickly escalated. Government vehicles arrived, leading to confrontations that culminated in the use of tear gas.
Documents from the court indicate that after throwing a canister at the officers, Caravelo changed his clothes and returned to the scene about two hours later. Federal agents recognized him as the person who had thrown the canister and took him into custody, where he reportedly resisted arrest.
Initially charged with felony assault on July 12, those charges were later reduced to a misdemeanor.
On August 25, he entered a guilty plea. In a statement, he mentioned, “Whatever I do in the protest is to protect everything. I would intentionally do no harm to anyone.”
However, the judge recently reviewed his case, resulting in the reinstatement of felony charges against him for assaulting federal agents.
California State University Channel Islands has yet to respond to comments regarding the situation.
Caravelo is currently out on a $15,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
