All the criminal cases filed in the wake of the Port of Olympia protests nearly two years ago were resolved Friday after eight demonstrators signed agreements that could lead to dismissal of their charges.

Each protester signed a stipulated order of continuance that calls for the dismissal of the charge if they pay a $50 fine and stay out of trouble for four months. In exchange, they stipulate to the facts in the police report, meaning it would be harder to avoid a conviction if they violate the terms of the agreement.

The demonstrators accepted the agreement during a court hearing to set a trial date. Five of them made statements before the court detailing their reasons for taking the actions they did.

They were among a group of 26 women who sat in an intersection on the night of Nov. 13, 2007, to prevent military vehicles that supported combat operations in Iraq from returning to Fort Lewis. They were arrested after they ignored orders by Olympia police officers to disperse.

All the women were charged with misdemeanor attempted disorderly conduct. Eighteen of them earlier accepted a similar agreement to resolve their cases.

Stephanie Snyder, 26, one of the eight demonstrators, said the resolution of the cases was a “huge victory” because the demonstrators were able to negotiate the terms of the agreement.

“As long as suffering from war continues, I will continue speaking, thinking and working for and in peace,” she said. “We stayed in this for justice and we remain committed to this both in our legal system and in the world.”

Seven other criminal cases prosecuted through Olympia Municipal Court have been resolved.

Two of those defendants accepted agreements that will keep their convictions off their record if they meet certain conditions.

The charges against four other demonstrators were dropped after a judge ruled that a videotape of the protests lost by police would have aided their defense.

The last protester was sentenced to 10 days in a jail last year after a jury convicted him of resisting arrest and obstructing a police officer during the protests.

A couple of civil lawsuits stemming from the protests are pending.

The federal trial of two men who alleged the City of Olympia and Olympia police officers violated their civil rights is scheduled to start next week in Tacoma. The trial is scheduled to begin Wednesday, at the earliest.

In addition, three of the women who participated in the Nov. 13 action have sued the city of Olympia and several of its corrections officers in federal court. They allege the officers violated their civil rights by ordering them to strip to their underwear in violation of jail policy.

Christian Hill: 360-754-5427

chill@theolympian.com