CSUCI professor cleared of assault charge after arrest during protests of federal raids last summer

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Jonathan Caravello, a CSU Channel Islands professor charged with assault after being arrested during protests outside large-scale raids at marijuana grow sites last summer, was acquitted of his charge of assaulting a federal officer using a deadly weapon Friday.

"After a thorough investigation by the court, John was cleared of any wrongdoing," stated the California Faculty Association. "The jury's decision underscores John's right to peacefully protest and speak out against the cruelty and inhumanity this administration has shown toward immigrants and other marginalized communities across the country."

On July 10, 2025, federal agents with the Department of Homeland Security and members of the National Guard executed a criminal search warrant at Glass House Farms, a marijuana grower, locations in Carpinteria and outside of Camarillo.

During the raids, federal personnel deployed tear gas into a crowd of people gathered outside of the grow locations and at least 375 people were taken into custody inside of the grow locations, including 14 children and a U.S. citizen.

One man working at the Glass House facility in Camarillo at the time, Jaime Garcia, fell to his death during the law enforcement action.

According to an indictment filed last year, Caravello allegedly threw one of the deployed tear gas canisters back at agents.

Agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection eventually took Caravello into custody at the scene stated the First Assistant's Office.

"At this time, it is our understanding that Professor Caravello was peacefully participating in a protest—an act protected under the First Amendment and a right guaranteed to all Americans," stated California State University Channel Islands in a statement about Caravello's arrest.

The educator was facing a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison before his acquittal Friday.

"While some justice was restored by the jury's decision, the beatings, the surveillance, and the trauma that John and others across the state and nation have had to endure cannot be ignored," added the California Faculty Association Friday. "Our hearts go out to him and all the other individuals who have shared similar experiences when confronting injustice, often at great cost to themselves."