A Prior Lake mother, father, and their adult daughter are facing federal charges after a tense clash with a Turning Point USA reporter outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on April 11. Federal court filings unsealed April 29 accuse Christopher and Paige Ostroushko of interfering with a federally protected activity and of assault, while Deyanna Ostroushko is charged with assault. All three are due for an initial appearance in U.S. District Court on May 12.
Video from several angles shows Paige Ostroushko blowing a whistle inches from reporter Savanah Hernandez’s left ear, then throwing a punch and shoving Hernandez into a chain-link fence as the surrounding crowd presses in. Those actions, and the resulting federal counts, are detailed in court documents and reporting by the Star Tribune.
Local television outlets that reviewed the footage say it also appears to show a man, identified in reporting as Paige Ostroushko’s father, pushing Hernandez to the pavement from behind. The unsealed filings charge three people with assault, and two of them also face counts alleging interference with a federally protected activity, according to CBS Minnesota.
Federal charges and what they allege
Prosecutors say the federal charges apply because the confrontation occurred on federal property outside the Whipple building, which houses a regional ICE field office. Some outlets reported that a federal grand jury returned indictments in the case, and FOX 9 noted that indictments were expected to be unsealed and that the filings allege both assault and interference with a federally protected activity.
What is next
The three people named in the filings were charged by federal prosecutors on April 28 and are scheduled for an initial appearance in U.S. District Court on May 12, according to the Star Tribune. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says it is still reviewing whether to pursue parallel state charges tied to the April 11 confrontation.
Protest backdrop
The Whipple building has been a steady flashpoint for anti-ICE demonstrations since federal enforcement actions in the region escalated earlier this year, drawing repeated crowds and occasional confrontations. Local coverage has documented sizeable demonstrations at the site and warned that tensions at the federal facility have been running high in recent months, according to CBS Minnesota.
Legal implications
Federal prosecutors have framed the case as a federal offense in part because it took place on federal property. The statute commonly used in such prosecutions is codified at Cornell Law School, which outlines 18 U.S.C. § 245 and criminalizes willful interference with federally protected activities. That law allows penalties ranging from misdemeanor terms of up to one year, and if bodily injury results, penalties can reach up to 10 years in prison, depending on the conduct and the harm alleged.
