A Saxonburg man was sentenced to probation Thursday for his role in a Butler rally in the wake of George Floyd's death last spring.

Amid the spread of the coronavirus last year, the death of Floyd, a Black man who was killed May 25 by police in Minneapolis, sparked protests and riots, including a Butler rally on May 31.

Police arrested eight people during the hours-long rally, including Everett Brandon Roy, 34, who Judge William Shaffer sentenced Thursday to six months of probation for disorderly conduct.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty April 20 of all three charges for killing Floyd. He faces up to 75 years in prison when he returns for sentencing in eight weeks, according to reports.

At the time of the Butler protest, movements around the country emerged, calling for justice on Floyd's behalf. The Butler protest, which ended around 9:45 p.m., was generally peaceful, police said at the time, with occasional arguments between protesters and counterprotesters.

Butler Police Chief Bob O'Neill estimated that at its peak, between 300 and 400 people gathered near Diamond Park in downtown Butler.

Around 6:30 p.m., police said, a “large faction” of protesters began marching through the city, eventually making its way back to the park.

A fight broke out around 8 p.m. between two protesters, according to police, which eventually led to the first arrests. Soon after, authorities ordered all protesters to disperse.

“The order was issued to disperse to everyone due to it being an unlawful assembly,” O'Neill said. “The command was given numerous times, and officers then began to clear the area. It took approximately one hour, and the entire Main Street area was cleared.”

That decision was made, police said, for the safety of citizens, business owners, law enforcement officers and the protesters. But the decision also led to confrontations.

Roy was accused of being one of about 15 people who rushed at officers when they were tussling with another man, attempting to arrest him, around 8 p.m. at the park. Police said Roy “pushed through the crowd” to get at the officers.

According to police, Roy was repeatedly told to get off Route 8 and back on the sidewalk, but became “verbally aggressive” and “refused to comply” with police orders.

When officers advised Roy that he was under arrest, police said, he pulled away toward the crowd. He then continued to pull away as officers attempted to stop him, police said.

During the incident, an officer lost his footing and fell to the ground. Police eventually took Roy to the ground before arresting him.

Roy originally faced additional charges, but they were dropped as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

“We were thankful to work this out with (the Butler County district attorney) to come to a very positive resolution,” said Andrew Stiffler, Roy's lawyer. “He does a lot of good for the community, so I think that was a factor in resolving this matter.”

Roy moved to the area 19 years ago and graduated from Knoch High School, according to a previous Butler Eagle story, which noted that Roy has been active in arranging groups to clean up local parks on the weekends and founded a nonprofit group called the Butler Hip Hop and Rap Community, which plans local shows and helps aspiring rappers perform at the Butler Art Center on Main Street.