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Man who punched Jason Kessler will pay $1, jury rules

The incident occurred at a press conference the day after the deadly Unite the Right rally in 2017

<p>Jason Kessler attempting to speak at his press conference Aug. 13, before the event descended into chaos.&nbsp;</p>

Jason Kessler attempting to speak at his press conference Aug. 13, before the event descended into chaos. 

After an appeal to the Charlottesville Circuit Court Tuesday, Charlottesville resident Jeffrey Winder was fined $1 for assaulting Unite the Right organizer Jason Kessler on Aug. 13, 2017, during a press conference.

Only a day after his white supremacist rally — which ended with dozens of injuries and the deaths of local resident Heather Heyer and two state police troopers  — Kessler held a press conference outside City Hall. He left quickly, chased by counter-protesters. It was then, prosecutors said, that Jeffrey Winder punched Kessler on videotape.

Winder did not admit to assaulting Kessler, but was found guilty of misdemeanour assault and battery in the Charlottesville General District Court in February and sentenced to 30 days in prison — though all were suspended. In the appeal to the Circuit Court, where a jury was impaneled, Winder was found guilty. He could have been fined $2,500 and imprisoned for up to 12 months, but the jury instead fined him $1.

Winder’s attorney could not be reached for comment.

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