Matt Reardon loses right to own guns, must leave Lafayette County following felony conviction
Published 7:16 pm Thursday, July 6, 2017
Matt Reardon, a state flag and 2nd Amendment activist arrested in May for aggravated stalking, pleaded guilty Thursday in the Lafayette County Circuit Court where he was sentenced to time served and five years of probation.
He also lost his right to own firearms and must move out of Lafayette County.
Reardon’s legal troubles started on May 1 when he was arrested and charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct after he defied an order to leave from in front of the Confederate statue in front of the Lafayette County Courthouse where he was standing and holding the Mississippi state flag.
Reardon took to Facebook to garner support for his claim his First Amendment rights were violated by the arrest. Conversations often turned heated and Reardon posted photos of himself holding an AR-15 rifle along with written threats against a local business and several Oxford residents.
On May 26, he was arrested again – this time for felony aggravated stalking; however, the sheriff’s department didn’t release the name of the victim who filed charges against Reardon.
On Thursday, Reardon agreed to waive a formal indictment by a grand jury and pleaded guilty to aggravated stalking. In return, the disorderly conduct charge will be dismissed.
Circuit Court Judge Luther Kelly sentenced Reardon to time served and five years in prison; however, the prison sentence was suspended and Reardon was placed on five years of probation. If he violates his probation, he could be ordered to serve the remaining sentence behind bars.
Reardon indicated in court his plans were to relocate to another state and was ordered to remain out of Lafayette County during his probationary period with the exception of any required court appearances. He was also ordered to pay all court costs and assessments.
Lafayette County Chief Investigator Alan Wilburn said Reardon’s guns were turned over to the sheriff’s department since he is now a convicted felon.