COLUMBIA — City Prosecutor Stephen Richey has deferred prosecution of a misdemeanor assault charge against MU assistant professor Melissa Click in exchange for community service. The move comes two days after Click was suspended from her MU faculty position.
Click was recorded asking for "some muscle" to remove MU student Mark Schierbecker from Mel Carnahan Quadrangle on Nov. 9 as student protesters celebrated the resignation of former UM System President Tim Wolfe after weeks of protests on campus. She was charged in Municipal Court on Monday with misdemeanor third-degree assault in connection to the incident.
In exchange for not being prosecuted, Click has agreed to complete 20 hours of community service, to not break the law for a year and to waive her ability to use the statute of limitations in her defense should she be charged again. The charge will be dropped after a year if she meets all the terms. If she fails to meet any of the terms, the city will continue prosecution of the assault charge, according to a news release from Richey's office.
"Based on the facts of this case, I believe this disposition to be appropriate," Richey said in the release. "This disposition is in keeping with my office's handling of dozens of similar Municipal cases and adequately serves the interest of justice by ensuring the defendant will not engage in similar conduct."
Click has "accepted constructive criticisms of her actions and learned valuable lessons," Christopher Slusher, Click's attorney, said in a news release.
"She continues to regret her actions during the chaotic moments following the announcement that the hunger strike would end," Slusher said in the release. "She wishes to apologize again to those directly involved in the events and to the community."
Schierbecker said he did not participate in the decision-making process and hadn't been in contact with Richey since Jan. 10. Richey told him about the agreement in an email Friday morning, Schierbecker said.
"I think she obtained favorable terms," he said. "I'm hoping she'll learn something from the terms."
Schierbecker said he didn't plan to pursue any further legal action unless advised otherwise by his attorney.
On Wednesday, the UM System Board of Curators suspended Click pending further investigation. The city prosecutor's decision to forgo prosecution won't affect her paid suspension, UM System spokesman John Fougere said in an email.
Interim Chancellor Hank Foley said Monday that the criminal charge would factor into Click's tenure process, which began in September and will be decided by August, according to previous Missourian reporting.
Earlier this month, 117 Republican lawmakers called for Click’s dismissal in a letter addressed to Foley, UM System Interim President Mike Middleton and the Board of Curators.
Concerned Student 1950, the group of student protesters that Click was trying to keep Schierbecker from approaching, said in a letter Thursday that MU and the UM System were using Click as a scapegoat instead of working to rectify racial injustice on campus.
Supervising editor is Katherine Reed.
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(1) comment
Click got off with a slap on the wrist and it is pathetic. Sad day for criminal justice with moronic lawyers playing judge and jury. Pathetic.
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