Portland jury acquits MAGA streamer after he slapped anti-ICE agitator's phone out of his face

A Portland jury acquitted a pro-ICE protester and streamer after he slapped the phone out of the hand of a left-wing protester when another agitator was shining a bright light in his face.

Pamela Hemphill, an anti-ICE agitator who was previously known as "MAGA granny" before becoming a leftist, had accused Jeremy W. Roberts of harassment, stemming from an altercation that took place last year at an ICE facility in South Portland, per the Oregonian.

Roberts, 45, had admitted that he swung to stop someone from shining a bright light in his face during a scrum taking place at the ICE facility. Hemphill claimed he struck her phone intentionally. “Mr. Roberts sensed the flashlight at his side, and he swung to get it out of his face. That’s not intent to harass Ms. Hemphill,” his defense attorney said in court.

The jury, comprised of four women and two men, was persuaded by the defense and found Roberts not guilty of the two charges of harassment. Hemphill, 72, has made a 180 in her political views, once being a January 6 protester, but is now a vocal anti-ICE protester in Portland. Instead of "MAGA Granny" she is now known as "Pamtifa."

Video that was shown in court showed Roberts on October 26 last year, where was holding a microphone and speaking to another man in a hoodie when Hemphill started filming the scene.

Another left-wing agitator was shining a bright light in his face and then when Hemphill came close with the phone, Roberts lashed out, smacking it out of her hands. The phone was only lightly damaged on the exterior and remains functional. The jury took less than 30 minutes to find Roberts not guilty of the harassment counts.

Although he did not testify in court, Roberts told police at the time of the incident when he was in the squad car, "If I’m blinded in a confrontation with somebody, that’s not a good place to be, right? It was inches from my face. So, I swatted it. And I’d probably do the same (expletive) thing again."