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'I'm Not A Criminal': Rep. John Thompson Found Guilty In 2019 Hospital Disturbance

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A jury found embattled state lawmaker Rep. John Thompson guilty Wednesday in a hospital disturbance that happened at North Memorial Health in 2019, before he served as a DFL state representative.

He says he was met with a wall of officers when he tried to check on a loved one at Robbinsdale hospital, and argued police treated family and friends gathered at the hospital disrespectfully. They arrested him on trespassing and obstruction charges.

"This how they treat you at North Memorial hospital!" Thompson said in his cellphone video while inside the hospital during the incident. "Calm down? I'm talking to my phone, not you. Don't send insensitivity to a sensitive issue. This is insensitivity."

John Thompson
Rep. John Thompson (credit: CBS)

Thompson admits the group inside the hospital was emotional, and says police were disrespectful. He spoke with the media minutes after the verdict was issued.

"I'm not a criminal. You guys are looking at a man in a suit and tie, I'm not a criminal," Thompson said. "Sometimes [the] fight for justice has legal ramifications, and here we go."

Thompson called the verdict a "bump in the road" for him, and says he's going to continue to "fight for people who look just like me." He also asked the press to give his family a few days to process verdict.

The state lawmaker recently made headlines for accusing police of racially profiling him during a traffic stop. Multiple accusations of past domestic abuse also surfaced. Thomspson has denied any wrongdoing, and has rejected calls from party leaders to step down. However, his lawyer said Wednesday that he is now going to take some time to make a decision on whether or not to resign.

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