LITTLE ROCK — Prosecutors have dropped the charges against the four people arrested in May during the Occupy Little Rock protests.

Jennifer Pierce, 28, of Bryant; Amy Cicirello, 48, of Little Rock; Glen Miller, 54, of North Little Rock; and Greg Deckelman, 57, of Cabot had been scheduled for trial Wednesday on charges of disorderly conduct in connection with their arrest May 16 for refusing to leave the protest site at East Fourth and Ferry streets.

That same day, at the request of Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Luke Daniels, however, Little Rock District Judge Alice Lightle dismissedthe charges.

John Johnson, Pulaski County’s chief deputy prosecutor, said the move was “in the interest of judicial economy.” He noted that the protest ended after the arrests and that the trial would have required time from prosecutors and police officers who would have been called as witnesses.

“Once the problem is gone, and it’s not reoccurring, there doesn’t seem to be any point in using limited resources to deal with something that’s already been dealt with,” Johnson said.

He said city officials weren’t involved in the decision.

The protesters, represented by attorney John Wesley Hall Jr. of Little Rock, said they weren’t surprised at the outcome.

“We know we had the Constitution behind us,” Cicirello said.

The nearly seven-month demonstration, meant to call attention to income inequality and other issues, began in October 2011 on the grounds of the Clinton Presidential Center. At the urging of the city, the protesters moved their encampment four days later to a city-owned parking lot.

The city issued a special event permit allowing the protest, but it was later revoked by City Manager Bruce Moore, who said the city needed the parking lot for tour buses and events such as Riverfest.

Deckelman was also cited during an Occupy Little Rock march April 30, accused of obstructing a public passageway. Prosecutors dropped the charge in that case Oct. 15.

Deckelman and Occupy Little Rock member Kaitlin Lott were also cited Oct. 21 on the violation of a city ordinance that prohibits holding an assembly on public property without a permit.

Deckelman said he and Lott had refused to leave the parking lot at Fourth and Ferry during a demonstration marking the one-year anniversary of the 2011 protest’s beginning.

He and Lott are set for trial on the ordinance violation March 5.

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 8 on 01/28/2013