At least two defendants arrested in connection with the July 4 shooting at an immigration detention center in Alvarado have pleaded not guilty to state charges, according to their attorneys and court records.
Susan Kent appeared in Johnson County District Court Thursday. She pleaded not guilty to engaging in organized criminal activity and hindering the prosecution of terrorism — both first-degree felonies — and her trial is set for March.
Arraignment hearings scheduled Thursday for Seth Sikes and Lynette Sharp were canceled, court records show. Sharp's attorney confirmed her client pleaded not guilty and waived her arraignment. Her trial date was not immediately available, and the attorney declined to comment further.
Sikes' attorneys did not respond to KERA News' requests for comment.
Kent, 23, and Sharp, 57, are accused of helping former Marine Corps reservist Benjamin Song get away from Prairieland Detention Center the day after the shooting that injured an Alvarado police officer. Both prosecutors and other defendants claim Song was the group's leader and the sole shooter.
According to court records, Kent and Sharp visited the Johnson County Jail in an attempt to get information on people arrested the night before. Authorities then allege defendant John Phillip Thomas met up with Kent, Sharp and two others at a hotel in Cleburne to figure out how to transport Song, who had been hiding out in a sunflower field near Prairieland for nearly 24 hours.
Janette Goering, the latest person arrested in the case, was also alleged to have been at the meeting, according to court records.
Sharp faces the same state charges as Kent. Sharpis also federally charged along with Thomas with one count of accessory to an attempted murder of federal officials after the fact.
Sikes, a 22-year-old from Kennedale, was arrested at Prairieland the night of July 4 with a group of other defendants who allegedly began the night shooting fireworks at the detention center. He was federally indicted earlier this month on one count of providing material support to terrorists.
Sikes told authorities he didn't know anyone else who was at the detention center and only thought they would be setting off fireworks, according to criminal complaints. He was arrested with two firearms he said he never used and were for his own protection.
The terrorism charges stem from the defendants' alleged ties to "antifa", which President Donald Trump designated a domestic terrorist organization in September. Short for anti-fascist, antifa is not a centralized group and has no identified leader. The ideology has been associated with more militant left-wing groups.
Prosecutors said in a court filing last week they've offered plea deals to most of the defendants arrested, and the government will move forward with indictments against those who don't accept.
Toluwani Osibamowo is KERA’s law and justice reporter. Got a tip? Email Toluwani at tosibamowo@kera.org.
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