PORTLAND, Ore.—U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that a Portland, Oregon resident has been charged with jumping onto the back of a police officer who was arresting someone, as the officer was engaged in lawful crowd dispersal during a civil disorder event.

A federal grand jury in Portland, Oregon has returned a one-count indictment charging Meganne Elizabeth Englich-Mills, 24, with Civil Disorder.

According to court documents, during the evening hours of September 5, 2020, a crowd of people attempted to march to the Portland Police Bureau’s East Precinct located at 737 SE 106th avenue from Ventura Park. When the crowd encountered law enforcement officers, multiple fire bombs and commercial grade fireworks were thrown by the crowd towards law enforcement, resulting in injury to both law enforcement and community members. The assembly was declared a riot and the crowd received multiple warning to disperse from the area. The crowd refused to disperse and people in the crowd began throwing rocks at law enforcement and lit several fires in the streets using dumpsters, garbage cans and wooden pallets.  

Oregon State Police Troopers assigned to conduct crowd control duties during the declared riot, encountered a group of persons refusing to disperse from the area as directed. As one Trooper attempted to take a female subject into custody, another member of the above group, later identified as Meganne Elizabeth Englich-Mills, jumped on the Trooper’s back as the Trooper and the other subject were on the ground. Additional Troopers came to the aid of the arresting officer and Englich-Mills was placed under arrest.   

Meganne Elizabeth Englich-Mills made an initial appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge John V. Acosta. Englich-Mills was arraigned, pleaded not guilty, and ordered released pending a jury trial to be held.

The Portland Police, Oregon State Police and FBI investigated this case. It is being prosecuted by Peter Sax, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.