Man who wielded chair in riverfront brawl pleads guilty

Man who wielded chair in riverfront brawl pleads guilty

Reggie Bernard Ray, seen wielding a folding chair as a weapon during the brawl in Montgomery’s riverfront park in August, pleaded guilty Monday morning to disorderly conduct in the incident.

Montgomery Municipal Judge Milton Westry gave Ray a 90-day suspended jail sentence and ordered him to perform 50 hours of community service and pay $357 in court costs.

Ray, who was 42 at the time of the arrest, was one of six people charged in the incident, which drew national attention after cellphone videos showed several white men attacking and beating the Black co-captain of Harriott II riverboat during a dispute over the riverboat’s landing spot on the dock.

Ray’s involvement came during a later portion of the brawl.

A deposition from the arresting officer said body camera footage showed Ray, who is Black, striking a white man wearing shorts and no shirt several times with a folding chair. Another video shows Ray striking a white woman with the chair after she had been knocked down on the dock. That is not mentioned in the deposition.

Ray and his attorney, Virgil Ford, declined to speak with reporters as they left the Municipal Justice Center. Ray’s case was the last of the six to be resolved in court.

Three white men and a white woman pleaded guilty in the case. All the charges were misdemeanors.

In October, Richard Roberts of Dallas County pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and was ordered to serve 32 days in jail on weekends. Roberts apologized in court to co-captain Dameion Pickett in court and a 16-year-old boy he hit.

Also in October, Mary Todd pleaded guilty to harassment. She received a 15-day suspended sentence and was ordered to complete an anger management program and pay court costs.

Last week, Zachery Shipman of Dallas County and Allen Todd of Baldwin County, initially charged with third-degree assault, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of harassment. Each received a suspended 60-day jail sentence and 12 months on probation. They were ordered to perform 100 hours of community service, complete an anger management course, and pay a $100 fine and court costs.

As part of those plea deals, the court dismissed a third-degree assault charge against Pickett.

The incident started when operators of a pontoon boat refused requests from the Harriott II to move their boat from a spot where the riverboat, which was loaded with passengers, normally docks. After Pickett and another crew member moved the boat, an argument ensued, and several white men attacked Pickett.