Black Lives Matter South Bend frontman Jorden Giger hits plea deals

A leader of the South Bend chapter of Black Lives Matter, Jorden Giger, has submitted two plea deals in separate criminal cases.
Giger, 30, faced multiple charges resulting from a confrontation with police in New Albany, Indiana, in October. He pleaded guilty to a single disorderly driving misdemeanor charge last week in a deal that saw Floyd County prosecutors drop all other charges.
The deal, which has yet to be accepted by a judge, calls for Giger to be sentenced to two days in prison, which he has already served after his arrest. He will not be placed on probation.
In another case, Giger was charged with drunk driving and resisting law enforcement in Goshen in early March. In a plea agreement filed on Monday, the resistance charge will be dismissed and Giger will be placed on probation for one year for the DWI.
Giger declined to comment on Tuesday, saying he must speak to his lawyers before speaking publicly about the cases.
In the New Albany case, Giger was initially charged with disarming a police officer, resisting law enforcement, disorderly conduct and public intoxication. Police claimed he interfered with officers trying to end an Oct. 2 brawl between two women in New Albany, on the border with Louisville, Ky.
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Photos posted to the South Bend Chapter of the Black Lives Matter Facebook page on September 30 show Giger and other chapter members in Louisville, participating in rallies arising from the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.
According to court documents, New Albany Police were sent to a bar on October 2 for a two-woman fight taking place on the street. An officer, James Gardner, attempted to handcuff one of the women when he was grabbed from behind by Giger and pulled away from the woman, according to documents.
Gardner tased Giger three times and punched him in the face, according to documents, Gardner claiming that Giger did not follow the officers’ orders.
New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey has confirmed that Gardner is currently on paid administrative leave for an “employment matter” unrelated to Giger’s arrest. Bailey declined to provide a copy of Gardner’s personnel file or comment on the details of the incident.
In the Goshen case, according to court records, an officer responded to the 100 block of East Washington Street at around 12:30 a.m. on February 28 to reports that a man, identified as Giger, had collapsed while driving a car .
After the police obtained a search warrant for a blood test, they took Giger to Goshen Hospital to draw his blood. Court documents do not say what Giger’s blood alcohol level was at the time of his arrest.
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If Goshen City Court judge Richard Mehl accepts the deal, Giger will be given a 60-day suspended sentence and one year of probation.
Giger is a leader of the South Bend chapter of Black Lives Matter and has helped organize local events following the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake by police.
Giger also voiced Black Lives Matter’s positions regarding recent public safety reforms and was interviewed by national media about former Mayor Pete Buttigieg.