Opinion
Last week, we reported that the country music star Chris Young had been arrested at a bar in Nashville, Tennessee and charged with assaulting an officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Now, however, Young has come out victorious as all charges against him have been dropped.
Charges Against Young Dropped
Entertainment Tonight reported that the Nashville District Attorney’s Office announced on Friday that all charges against Young will be dropped “after a review of all the evidence in this case.”
This evidence included video footage that showed Young place his hand on the shoulder of a Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission agent, who then shoved him into a table, causing the singer to fall over backwards.
“Mr. Young and I are gratified with the DA’s decision clearing him of the charges and any wrongdoing,” Young’s attorney Bill Ramsey said in a statement.
After Young was arrested, Ramsey had called on the agents to “apologize for the physical, emotional and professional harm done towards my client,” according to ABC News.
WSMV reported that Young, 38, was arrested last Monday night after an altercation with Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents who were completing a compliance check at about 8:30 p.m. at Tin Roof on Demonbreun Street, where Young was sitting at the bar. After the agents checked his identification, Young followed them and started asking questions as he recorded them.
The agents claimed that Young eventually put his hand out to stop them from leaving and “struck” one of them in the shoulder. This led to the agents pushing Young even harder, causing him to fall into a chair and onto the ground. It took two agents to physically detain Young and bring him into custody.
Related: Footage Of Country Star Chris Young’s Arrest ‘Could Undermine’ Police Version Of Events, Expert Warns
Legal Experts Weigh In
Legal experts, however, were quick to say that the surveillance footage could “undermine” the agents’ version of events.
“The fact that the officer seemingly said … in his affidavit that he was struck like … that’s not what appears to have happened,” Devin McRae, partner at Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP, told Fox News. “So, that could undermine the entirety of his affidavit, not just about that detail, but everything else around it.”
“It’s essentially your best evidence of what occurred, rather than somebody trying to testify to what occurred based on their recollection,” he added. “So, the jury gets to see what actually occurred.
Bryan M. Sullivan, a partner at the same firm, agreed with McRae.
“The videos, if authenticated and admitted into evidence, can be very powerful to a jury as it gives the jury a basis to make their own determination of the credibility of the recollection of the witnesses and participants,” he explained. “Generally, and it’s human nature, people tell their version of events that make them appear in the best possible light.”
Related: Trace Adkins Defends Jason Aldean And Morgan Wallen – ‘They’re Not Racist’
McRae chimed back in to admit that the surveillance footage could still cause some “problems,” however.
“There could be some problems with completeness because we don’t know what happened before or after,” he warned. “The surveillance only just shows that part of it.”
Young became a household name after winning the singing competition “Nashville Star” in 2006, and his first single, “Drinkin’ Me Lonely,” became a number 1 hit. He has released eight studio albums, and his next one entitled “Young Love & Saturday Nights” is set to drop on March 22.
Do you think that Young has been vindicated in the wake of his charges being dropped? Let us know in the comments section.
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