While the wooden shields and blankets laid at April’s encampment protest are long gone from the MLK Plaza, Emmanuel Atmosfera is one of 13 protesters still facing legal consequences.

Relate: Pro-Palestine encampment protest at USF broken up by tear gas 

Atmosfera, who authorities said “willfully and intentionally threw” a tear gas canister back at officers, was charged with felonies and misdemeanors in April, according to an affidavit. 

Now, after the State Attorney’s Office dropped Atmosfera’s felony charges, the biomedical sciences junior still faces three misdemeanors.

Law enforcement arrested 13 protesters, including five students and two alumni, over two days of encampment protests in the spring. Following the arrests, the protesters called for the charges against the “USF 13” to be dropped.

Almost six months later, some have accepted the Misdemeanor Intervention Program (MIP) and others, like Atmosfera, have had felony charges dropped.

Related: USF encampment protesters call for charges to be dropped 

Most of those arrested in the spring faced a series of misdemeanor charges, including trespassing, unlawful assembly and resisting a law enforcement officer. 

On April 30, Atmosfera was initially charged with three misdemeanors and two felonies: resisting an officer with violence and aggravated assault with a weapon.

Adrian Torna, Atmosfera’s lawyer, explained that law enforcement decides the charges when they arrest someone. However, after Torna talked to prosecutors at the State Attorney’s Office, the felonies were dropped. 

But Atmosfera is still facing misdemeanor charges.

While the maximum sentence for misdemeanors is three years in jail, Torna said it is unlikely Atmosfera will face that sentence.

“What happens a lot for individuals who have no prior criminal history, who really didn’t commit acts that are very egregious or violent in nature, is the state attorney allows for that person to enter a diversion program,” Torna said.

This means Atmosfera could enter a diversion program, like the MIP. 

Related: USF student protesters suspended and expelled after April demonstrations

Erin Maloney, a spokesperson for the State Attorney’s Office, said the program is typically 90 days long and requires community service hours. 

“If completed, the goal is to allow the charges to be dismissed all together,” Maloney said.

Five of the 13 protesters arrested have accepted the MIP, including Simon Rowe, Anas Juma, Bailey Wagner, Sarah Fayiz and Cameron Pressey.

The status of student Adnan Elyman’s case was unclear at the time of publication.

Related: USF can place protest restrictions, First Amendment expert says

Leonardo Tilelli, a communications major, had his misdemeanor charges dropped. However, he is still facing felony battery of a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence.

According to an arrest affidavit, Tilelli “physically and intentionally attempt[ed] to strike” an officer. 

Tilelli entered what’s known as a guilty best interest plea in September, which registers a “formal admission of guilt” while maintaining the defendant’s innocence, according to Cornell’s Legal Information Institute. 

Tilelli and his lawyer did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.

Related: USF student protester forced to leave the country after suspension

Maria Hollenback, who was a staff assistant at WUSF, also faces felony battery of a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence. She has pleaded not guilty and is also facing a misdemeanor trespassing charge.

Charges against student Sebastian Martinez have been dropped.

Two protesters not affiliated with USF, Jake Geffon and Atah Othman, were also originally charged with felonies. 

Geffon threw his wooden shield at deputies and Othman had a gun on campus, according to the affidavits. However, both of their felonies were dropped. 

Geffon only faces misdemeanors and Othman was adjudged guilty of trespassing, resisting an officer and unlawful assembly.

Since April, there have not been any more arrests, but USF suspended a pair of students who attempted to hold a protest on campus earlier this month, according to a post from the Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

“Their threats will not stop the student movement and it will not stop our demands for free speech and for Palestinian liberation,” SDS wrote in the post.

However, USF has maintained it protects free speech when it follows appropriate time, place and manner restrictions.

In April, a spokesperson said USF “has been clear that violence, threats, harassment and disruptions will not be tolerated.”

Additional reporting by Joana Riva