Durham District Attorney Roger Echols announced at a Tuesday afternoon press conference that he was dropping all charges against the remaining individuals charged with bringing down a Confederate monument in front of the old Durham County Courthouse last summer.

The announcement came after a judge dismissed charges against two defendants after a trial on Monday and found a third defendant not guilty.

The same judge would be presiding over the additional five trials that were yet to come.

Echols said on Tuesday that the state had presented all the evidence that it had and that the evidence in future trials would mirror that which was presented on Monday. He added this would also apply to the one individual who had previously entered a guilty plea as part of a plea deal.

Some of the protesters were initially charged with felony counts associated with pulling down the monument. Echols previously announced he would be dropping those counts because he did not feel the evidence supported the felony charges.

Photo via Associated Press/Jonathan Drew

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