Misdemeanor charges against a Longview man for disorderly conduct and fourth-degree assault during a local Charlie Kirk vigil were dismissed on Tuesday in Cowlitz County District Court.
Jon Erik Hughes Hegstad, 40, was arrested on Sept. 10 after allegedly shouting obscenities at vigil attendees at R.A. Long Memorial Park and chest bumping the wife of Washington state Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview.
Hegstad's lawyer could not be immediately reached for comment to explain why the charges were dropped.
The charges were dropped without prejudice, meaning they could be refiled at a later date.
Hegstad called attendees “Nazis” and “white supremacists,” according to a Longview Police Department report, on the evening of Kirk's assassination, Sept. 10.
A Cowlitz County District Court citation states Hegstad’s language was a “breach of peace,” and included “noisy and riotous conduct."
He was initially detained only for disorderly conduct, but in a follow-up investigation, officers discovered he allegedly had a verbal argument with Wilson, then chest bumped his wife, the report states.
Hegstad, a Democrat, ran unsuccessfully in 2022 for the 19th legislative district seat currently held by Rep. Joel McEntire, R-Cathlamet.
