Jan. 27, 2021 3:45p; Updated at 7:15p with officer reinstatements
(WGTD)---A 27-year-old Kenosha man has been accused of injuring a police officer in the early hours of the unrest related to the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's office in Milwaukee, Ashton Howard has been charged in an indictment with obstructing a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
The incident is believed to be the one caught on videotape that shows an officer falling to the ground, unconscious, after being hit in the head with what appeared to be a brick. It happened just a few feet from where Blake was shot, and after a crowd of demonstrators started to build around nightfall.
A second charge that's been lodged against Howard involves the possession of bullets found in a bedroom in a home in the 5000 blk. of 26th Ave. that he sometimes shares with a woman. According to federal court records, the home was searched Jan. 4th and Howard was taken into custody. He was subsequently released on bail. The woman later said the bullets were hers.
According to court records, Howard was convicted in federal court in Louisiana of possessing stolen firearms. Howard was sentenced in 2016 to two years in prison.
Neither the news release or the available court documents indicate how Howard was tied to the case of the injured officer, who has since recovered.
An arraignment in the federal court case is scheduled for Feb. 18th.
In a related matter, the Kenosha Police Dept announced Wednesday that two officers who had lesser roles in the Blake shooting are going back on the road. Vincent Arenas and Brittany Meronek had been on administrative leave since the shooting.
A Facebook post says that Rusten Sheskey, the officer who shot Blake, remains off-duty while an internal review board continues to examine his actions and any policies and procedures that apply to the case.
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