Martin R. Diaz folded his hands and placed his head on the table before grabbing a tissue to wipe away tears. His attorney supported him with an arm on his back.

Many of Diaz’s roughly 20 family members and supporters seated in the courtroom gasped, and some then shed tears.

The cheerful tears came late Tuesday afternoon after they learned a jury found Diaz not guilty of assaulting a U.S. Border Patrol agent who arrested him this spring at Diaz’s northeast Spokane home.

“This was a hard case and a close case,” U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Pennell said.

Kendall Diaz, Martin Diaz’s wife, said she was “beyond grateful.”

Martin Diaz spent several minutes hugging family members, who clapped and cheered when court adjourned.

The arrest by federal immigration agents in Diaz’s front y

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