Orange City, Iowa — In the ongoing case of an Ocheyedan man who checked out books from the Orange City Public Library that he allegedly burned, there have been some more developments.
Paul Dorr of Ocheyedan, the leader of the group, “Rescue The Perishing,” says he borrowed what he calls the “shameful and wicked” books from the Orange City Public Library. The books involved were four “transgender books” that Dorr is accused of burning in a Facebook Live video at the start of last October’s “OC Pride” event.
The charge he faces, criminal mischief in the fifth degree, is only a misdemeanor offense, but a jury trial is scheduled for August 6th in Orange City — that is — if that date holds.
The topic of the date of the trial is addressed in one of six motions that Dorr has presented to the court. Dorr is representing himself in court, but in his motion for continuance, Dorr states that he had been receiving legal help from someone out-of-state, but that person is no longer available, and he has had to seek other legal advice, so any other attorney would need time to come up to speed before the trial.
Among the motions is also a motion to suppress the evidence of the Facebook Live video that Dorr allegedly shot. Dorr says in his motion, “Social media is commonly known to be is easily manipulated and altered.” And he says, “…the state does not have a witness that the video truly and accurately depicts the events that it purports to show and portray.” Then he says the only person who could do that would be Dorr himself, and he will not waive his Fifth Amendment right to not be called as a witness against himself. And since the state has no admissible evidence of the crime, in another motion, he has renewed his call for the case to be dismissed.
Also among the motions is a motion for change of venue. Dorr says that the news media has published numerous stories and reports, including the video, which he says is inadmissible as evidence. He cites that reason, plus his extensive history in the pro-life movement, a federal case in which his rights of free speech were being denied by a county sheriff, and his 30-year record of opposing multiple judges in the third district as reasons that the jury pool has allegedly been “prejudiced” so that he cannot obtain a fair trial.
Another motion calls for Judge Lisa Mazurek to recuse herself from the case because Dorr says she’s already proved that she’s prejudiced against him, due to a statement she made that, “Mr. Dorr is not being sent the message that he cannot burn books…; (h)e is being sent the message that he cannot burn books that do not belong to him.” He says the Court has also said that they will not allow discussion of the nature or cause of Dorr’s protest. His motion then proceeds to call into question the moral character of Judge Mazurek and several other judges in the district.
The last motion filed by Dorr is a withdrawal of affidavits he filed previously.
At last report, the trial was still scheduled for Tuesday, August 6th in Sioux County District Court in Orange City.
