One of three misdemeanor charges was dismissed by a judge this morning against a man who climbed to the roof of the Washtenaw County administration building on Labor Day to protest unemployment.

15th District Judge Chris Easthope granted a motion for directed verdict by Bill Riney's attorney, Nader Nassif, noting that he didn't hear testimony during the two-day trial that Riney's protest created a disturbance or caused traffic to be obstructed.

Bill Riney

Riney still faces misdemeanor counts of attempted resisting and obstructing and trespassing. Closing arguments are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

Riney testified today that he planned to sit on the roof for days, if necessary, to get his message out.

"My plan was to just sit up there and be on a hunger strike and read my books and be peaceful," he said. "I called 911, so there would be no misunderstanding. I have no weapons. I was going to hurt no one."

Under cross-examination by Washtenaw County Assistant Prosecutor Stacie Shaw, Riney said he did not recall several different officers telling him to come down.

Check back to AnnArbor.com for more coverage from the trial today.