Charges voided against man who brought gun to park protest

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Updated 6:52 pm CST, Friday, January 11, 2019

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama city has dismissed charges against a former high school teacher accused of brandishing a handgun at an immigration rally.

Shane Ryan Sealy had been accused of reckless endangerment and menacing at a "Keep Families Together" rally June 30 in Huntsville's Big Spring Park. Prosecutors said Sealy marched around the park holding a sign referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They said he pulled a gun after a confrontation with a protester.

He was convicted in November in Huntsville Municipal Court and sentenced to 160 days in jail and two years' probation.

Al.com reports Sealy appealed, and attorney Joshua Graff said Friday the case had been "nolle prossed by the city," which means abandoned or dismissed.


Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Charges-voided-against-man-who-brought-gun-to-13527872.php

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Shane Ryan Sealy

Shane Ryan Sealy: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

By Jessica McBride
Updated Jul 3, 2018 at 12:19am

Shane Ryan Sealy, a 34-year-old former Alabama high school English teacher, is accused of pulling out a gun at a protest of Donald Trump’s immigration policies after shouting “womp, womp” and other comments at protesters, including one who was leading a prayer.

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sealy, a counter protester, was arrested for allegedly “possessing a firearm within 1,000 feet of the protest” but was charged with menacing and reckless endangerment for his alleged actions on June 30, 2018 at the protest in Hunstville, Alabama. The protest was one of many that erupted throughout the nation in the wake of President Donald Trump’s zero tolerance prosecutions at the border and the family separations that have occurred.

Videos of what happened when Shane Sealy showed up at the “Families Belong Together” protest in Huntsville have gone viral. You can watch the videos later in this article.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Shane Sealy Is Accused of Saying ‘Womp, Womp’ During a Prayer

More:
https://heavy.com/news/2018/07/shane-ryan-sealy/

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

1. That mugshot should be a separate charge...

Hack that beaver off your face man.

[Initech]

2. Very fine people on both sides!

[Aristus]

3. I'm not surprised. Isn't brandishing a gun and threatening minorities Alabama's state pastime?

[cntrfthrs]

4. I'm constantly baffled as to why people...

dont do anything about these happenings...If I attended any rallies and some dikhed trumper showed up with a gun, I'd take it away and shove it up thier azz...

[lunasun]

5. Portrait of a supreme being

Hmm reads like he was no longer a teacher ... not helping to widen his career choiceswith this move either

He’s certified to teach English Language Arts courses, including for “English for Speakers of Other Languages,” the database says, in addition to Essentials/Life Skills: English Language Arts, and Theatre, among others

[melm00se]

6. From another article

City Attorney Trey Riley said new evidence presented after the trial did not match the charging document. So, they dismissed the case without prejudice, meaning the city can bring charges against Sealy again for this case if it's warranted.

https://whnt.com/2019/01/14/city-attorney-says-new-evidence-led-to-dropped-case-for-huntsville-man-who-pulled-gun-at-protest/

So it sounds like the City Attorney thought that something happened with the evidence that would have caused the case to be overturned on an appeal so they cut bait with the option of refiling the case down the road (but I am not sure why double jeopardy wouldn't have attached).