According to the criminal complaint, Darst showed up at a Minnetrista housewarming party on Jan. 11 looking for his wife, with whom he’d quarreled earlier in the evening. Darst allegedly kicked in the door of the home and physically assaulted two individuals attending the party. “The defendant appeared to be full of rage and anger,” the complaint states.

The incident might be dismissed as a routine domestic dispute — except for Darst’s prior interactions with law enforcement. He previously served as an undercover informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, helping to build a case against the so-called RNC Eight (pictured). The group of activists are charged with criminally conspiring to disrupt the Republican National Convention held in St. Paul in September. But Darst’s own alleged criminal acts have raised questions about his credibility as an informant in the high-profile prosecutions.

Darst’s scheduled 3 p.m. court appearance never occurred, however. Apparently owing to scheduling conflicts for attorneys involved in the case, the legal matter was dealt with in an impromptu hearing earlier in the day.

According to a tape recording of the proceeding, Darst agreed to waive his right to a jury trial. Instead Mabley will decide his guilt or innocence based on written records related to the case.

Despite the unusual legal arrangement, prosecutors continue to insist that Darst is guilty of the alleged crimes. “He had reasonable alternatives available, including calling the police if he was concerned about the safety of his wife and he had the option to retreat from the dwelling,” said Assistant Hennepin County Attorney John Halla during the hearing. “He did neither.”

But the legal machinations have left some wondering if Darst might have struck a deal with the prosecution in order to avoid a trial.

“Otherwise why not just go to trial and let a jury decide?” asks Jordan Kushner, an attorney representing one member of the RNC Eight, Luce Guillen-Givins. “I would have to guess there’s more to this than what’s on the record.”

Whether these suspicions are justified will be known shortly. Mabley is slated to rule on the criminal charges facing Darst next Monday.

But attorneys for the group successfully argued that the hearing should be postponed so that they can have more time to obtain and examine the evidence against their clients. The six defendants are now slated to appear back in court on November 10.

But a meeting slated for this week before Chief Ramsey County Judge Kathleen Gearin will likely alter that schedule. The eight cases are expected to be assigned to a single judge so that they can proceed more efficiently.

The RNC 8 members were arrested in the days leading up to the Republican National Convention and charged with a single count of “conspiracy to commit riot in the second degree in furtherance of terrorism.” The criminal complaint alleges that they were involved in an elaborate, nationwide plot to disrupt the convention that included plans to kidnap delegates, attack cops with urine and molotov cocktails and ultimately bring the proceedings to a standstill.

Attorney Larry Leventhal, who is representing Max Jacob Specktor, said after the aborted court hearing that the defense team needs additional time to scrutinize the evidence and tactics used to build the case against their clients, such as the use of confidential informants. “We really think it’s not going to show that there was a conspiracy to riot in support of terrorism,” he said. Leventhal added that the attorneys also want to examine what role the Federal Bureau of Investigation played in the investigation. “We believe they were probably directing the operation,” he said.

The other defendants are Nathanael David Secor, Luce Guillen-Givins, Robert Joseph, Erik Charles Oseland, Garrett Scott Fitzgerald, Monica Rachel Bicking and Garrett Scott Fitzgerald

With several members of the RNC8 — the people charged with felonies in conjunction with planned protests at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul last month — heading to court today for hearings in their cases, the Friends of the RNC8 are asking supporters to phone three local officials today to urge that charges be dropped.

The call-in’s targets are: Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner (651-266-3222), St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman (651-266-8510) and St. Paul City Attorney John Choi (651-266-8710).

“Please be polite, but firm,” organizers advise, in asking Gaertner to drop terrorism charges, Choi to drop misdemeanor charges, and Coleman to hold police accountable for actions. The stated hours of the “Call-In Day’ are 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

The RNC8 are eight people – Luce Guillen-Givins, Max Spector, Nathanael Secor, Eryn Timmer, Monica Bicking, Erik Oseland, Robert Czernik and Garrett Fitzgerald — who face federal terrorism charges after being rounded up in pre-emptive raids on protest groups in the days before the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.