KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knox County prosecutors dismissed misdemeanor trespassing charges Friday morning against a dozen people accused of trespassing on the University of Tennessee campus during May 2024 protests against the Israeli treatment of Palestinians in Gaza.

Knox County Deputy District Attorney General Sean McDermott told Knox County Criminal Court Judge Scott Green the state had been open to dropping the cases if the defendants collectively performed 100 hours of community service.

Even considering just the repeated good works of restaurateur and defendant Yassin Terou, the state judged now that service to be done. McDermott said the state also recognized Green had a docket already loaded with cases, including violent crime cases, that needed attention.

Several defense attorneys s

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