CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, U.S. District Judge Matthew E. Orso sentenced William Stanley, 26, of Charlotte, to one-year of probation for impeding and disrupting the performance of official duties of government employees; failure to comply with the lawful direction of an authorized individual; and obstructing the entrance on a federal property. In addition to the year of probation, Stanley was ordered to complete 50 hours of community service in the first six months, and the community service should be in conflict resolution or emergency response. Also, Stanley must complete at least eight hours of community service per month for the first five months. Stanley was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine immediately or $50/month within 60 days. He is also not permitted to enter any Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility without the prior consent of ICE and his probation officer, and he is prohibited from communicating with his co-defendant, Heather Morrow.Judge Orso said at the sentencing hearing, “It is very serious to interfere with law enforcement duties on federal property.” According to court documents, trial evidence, and witness testimony, on November 16, 2025, Stanley and Morrow, aiding and abetting one another, willfully entered federal property, specifically, the grounds of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE/ERO) building in Charlotte. Trial evidence established that, while there, Stanley and Morrow engaged in disorderly conduct and other actions that unreasonably obstructed the usual use of the building’s entrances and parking lots. For example, according to evidence presented at trial and witness testimony, Stanley, Morrow, and three other individuals placed cones on the entrance driveway to the federal property and formed a human chain, blocking ERO Deportation Officers from entering in their official vehicles. In addition, Morrow’s vehicle was parked in the exit lane, blocking vehicles from exiting the federal property. Trial evidence further established that Stanley and Morrow’s conduct impeded and disrupted ERO Deportation Officers in the performance of their official duties and the defendants failed to comply with the lawful direction of ERO Deportation Officers. According to trial evidence, Stanley stood in front of the government-issued vehicle of an ERO Deportation Officer, blocking the officer from entering the property. Stanley then placed his hands on the hood of the ERO Deportation Officer’s vehicle to stop the officer from entering. “There is a difference between peaceful protest – which is permitted under the First Amendment – and interfering with law enforcemnet officers doing their jobs,” said a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “Here, Mr. Stanley crossed the line, and the Court’s sentence appropriately addresses that conduct by requiring that he give back to the community through court-ordered community service and supervision.”A sentencing date for Morrow has not been set. The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Smith and Caryn Finley prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice