A Philadelphia woman whose arrest on a Wildwood beach garnered national attention has rejected a plea offer, her attorney confirmed.
Emily Weinman, 20, is accused of assaulting two police officers as they tried to arrest her over the Memorial Day weekend.
The woman refused to give her full name after an officer tried to issue a citation for possession of alcohol by a minor.
Weinman should be able to apply for pretrial intervention, which would avoid prosecution, but the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office said it would fight that move, Scheffler said.
Weinman rejected a plea to a fourth-degree crime that would give her probation.
“Notwithstanding, I am optimistic that the county Prosecutor’s Office will ultimately agree to resolve this matter through the pretrial intervention program,” said Scheffler, who will have her apply after she is indicted. “However, at this time, they have indicated an unwillingness to do so.”
He said she would be eligible for the program even though she was already on probation at the time of the incident.
A series of three videos issued from an officer’s body camera
showed how the scene unfolded, including an officer hitting Weinman in her head and Weinman appearing to later spit at the officer. She has said she was just trying to get sand out of her mouth.
“Let there be no doubt that this matter should have been handled much differently by the police officers involved,” Scheffler said after Thursday’s hearing. “At the present time, we are actively accumulating all evidence relevant to this case, while remaining optimistic for a reasonable resolution to all charges.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHegxb-ZMkU
