On Monday, Oxford resident Matt Reardon was arrested for disorderly conduct on the Square after waving a Mississippi State flag in front of the Confederate Monument.
Deputy Sheriff Timmy Pruitt arrested Reardon and according to a release from the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department, Pruitt acted due to Reardon’s lack of a permit, which is required by the city to demonstrate on the Courthouse Square or lawn. The entire release can be seen below.
“On 5-1-2017 The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department received a complaint concerning assembly on the Lafayette County Courthouse Lawn. Deputy Sheriff Timmy Pruitt responded and spoke to a Matt Reardon. Timmy asked Mr. Reardon if he had a permit to demonstrate or protest and he advised that he did not. It is against the law to protest or demonstrate without a permit on the Courthouse Square or lawn. Mr. Reardon was asked to leave because of no permit but he did not leave. Mr. Reardon became agitated and began using profanity. Therefor Mr. Reardon was arrested for disorderly conduct and not producing a permit to protests or demonstrate.”
Reardon recorded the interaction between himself and Pruitt, which can se seen below. The video has now been viewed over 182,00 times across several different social media pages. In the video, Reardon is heard asking for Pruitt’s badge number and warning that he is going to take legal action. WARNING: Graphic Language
After being booked and released on a $250 bond, Reardon has made public demands for Pruitt’s suspension or termination on his Facebook page, citing his first amendment rights were being taken away. He goes on to mention that the city’s law goes against the constitution.
HottyToddy.com reached out to Reardon for a comment and is currently awaiting a response, we will continue to update this story as new information becomes available.
Steven Gagliano is a writer for HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at Steven.gagliano@hottytoddy.com.
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