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State Rep. Park Cannon speaks out
Rep. Cannon was arrested after knocking on the door as Gov. Kemp signed the controversial election reform bill into law.
ATLANTA - Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis says she won’t prosecute state Rep. Park Cannon after the lawmaker was arrested for knocking on Gov. Brian Kemp's door during the signing of Georgia's controversial new voting law.
State police arrested Cannon, a Democrat who represents Atlanta, after she said she wanted to see Kemp sign the law that places new restrictions on voting by mail and gives lawmakers more power to oversee elections.
Cannon was charged with obstruction of law enforcement and disruption of the General Assembly. She was released from jail late Thursday.
SEE MORE: Georgia Rep. Park Cannon speaks out after arrest
A state police spokesman said Cannon knocked on the door to the public lobby of the governor’s office, and then shifted to knocking on a door to a private area.
"She was advised that she was disturbing what was going on inside and if she did not stop, she would be placed under arrest," Lt. W. Mark Riley wrote in a statement.
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Rep. Park Cannon led away in handcuffs
This raw video shows Georgia Rep. Park being led away in handcuffs in the rotunda of the state Capitol on March 25, 2021, during a protest following the passage of the voting reform bill by both houses.
On Thursday, Willis said that she decided to close the case after reviewing the evidence provided by in-person interviews with citizen witnesses and the "statements, video evidence, and multiple police reports" from the Capitol Police.
"While some of Representative Cannon’s colleagues and the police officers involved may have found her behavior annoying, such sentiment does not justify a presentment to a grand jury of the allegations in the arrest warrants or any other felony charges," Willis said.
Cannon had faced two felony charges and up to eight years in prison.
"Facts and evidence showed to the world that Rep. Cannon committed no crime and should not have ever been arrested," said Attorney Gerald Griggs, who represented Cannon. "We thank the district attorney for her thorough review of the evidence and are weighing our next legal actions."
You can read the district attorney's full statement below:
The office of the Fulton County District Attorney’s lawful duty is to investigate alleged felonies occurring in Fulton County and to prosecute when appropriate. This office takes seriously its duty to prosecute crimes of violence, particularly when committed against law enforcement officers.
In our investigation of the incidents leading to the arrest of Representative Park Cannon on March 25, 2021, we received full cooperation from multiple citizen witnesses who were willing to provide in-person interviews about what they witnessed. We thank them for their assistance. We also received the cooperation of the Capitol Police, who provided statements, video evidence, and multiple police reports in an expeditious manner.
After reviewing all of the evidence, I have decided to close this matter. It will not be presented to a grand jury for consideration of indictment, and it is now closed.
While some of Representative Cannon’s colleagues and the police officers involved may have found her behavior annoying, such sentiment does not justify a presentment to a grand jury of the allegations in the arrest warrants or any other felony charges.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.