PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A member of the right-wing Proud Boys group has pleaded not guilty to felony third-degree assault and misdemeanor fourth-degree assault in connection with the June attack of a man in Oregon.
Donovon Lyle Flippo of Vancouver, Washington, entered the pleas Wednesday in Multnomah County Circuit Court, the Oregonian/OregonLive reported .
Flippo, 23, was arrested on a warrant Tuesday in Clark County, Washington, a day after Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler complained that law enforcement was basically ignoring violent protests in the city and failing to arrest violent activists.
Proud Boys members have been violent at protests in the past. Protests occur often in Portland and police have at times struggled to contain clashes.
Portland Police Bureau Lt. Tina Jones said Wednesday that the arrest happened outside their jurisdiction and therefore they are unable to comment.
Multnomah County Circuit Judge Karin Immergut ordered Flippo on Wednesday to have no contact with the man who was attacked or the co-defendant, Tusitala “Tiny” Toese, while the case is pending.
Toese, another Proud Boy member, hasn’t yet been arrested. He and Flippo appear together in many social media posts and often attend right-wing demonstrations in Portland.
Flippo and Toese were indicted last month after a 35-year-old man said Flippo and another man shouted homophobic slurs at him before punching him in the face.
The man said he was waiting to cross the street at a stoplight June 8 when he saw Toese, Flippo and a third man in a truck. The man said the men in the truck were yelling things about Trump, and shouting, “Build the wall!” He said he motioned at them with his hand or arm, trying to dismiss them. As he crossed the street, he said they yelled homophobic slurs at him so he shouted an expletive back at Toese, calling him by his nickname “Tiny.”
When the man got to the other corner, he said he saw Toese and Flippo get out of the truck and rush toward him. The man said he had a minor concussion and went to the hospital, where he received stitches for a split lip.
Flippo said he didn’t know the man, according to court records.
Another Vancouver man posted 10 percent of Flippo’s $7,500 bail and he was released from custody Tuesday night, court and jail records show.
When asked by a reporter if Flippo had any comment about his arrest and indictment as he left court with three other men, he said, “No, ma’am,” and walked away.
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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com
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