Davis Dozen strike plea deal

Twelve UC Davis Aggies went from facing 11 years in prison to serving 80 hours of community good.

That's the end game after more than a yearlong pretrial wait for the “Davis Dozen.” The 11 UCD students and one professor, who protested for weeks last year in front of the doorway to the campus's lone U.S. Bank branch, were set to begin trial next month.

The university never cited or arrested the protesters during their activism efforts, and the bank branch eventually shut down in February 2012. But afterward, the Yolo County District Attorney's office retroactively slapped each of the Davis Dozen with a count of conspiracy and 20 of obstructing free will. Suddenly, the 12 faced the possibility of 11 years in prison.

This past Monday, however, the dozen pleaded guilty to infraction charges of disturbing the peace, and with that, were sentenced to 80 hours of community service each.

The Davis Dozen originally set up a blockade in front of the bank on the heels of the Occupy Wall Street movement in January 2012. The UCD U.S. Bank branch still remains closed.