Vigilante Investigative Reporter details out alleged large scale conspiracy by the State of Mississippi and Lafayette County Officials to intimidate, manipulate, obstruct, and defeat the due course of Justice in multiple courts. He says it amounts to a full scale attack on the Constitution and if left unchecked, poses one of the largest threats to society as a whole!
On Tuesday June 28, 2022, just prior to a scheduled Chancery Court Hearing commencing, Matt Reardon was taken into Custody by Lafayette County Sheriffs Department due to an arrest warrant that stemmed from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations on June 27th.
Reardon was charged with Aggravated Stalking after he walked in to Oxford, MS City Hall with a camera phone to record the publicly accessible spaces and then request public records. Something Reardon says is called a First Amendment Audit and is completely protected as being constitutional under the First Amendment including a plethora of Federal case law backing that up. The sole issue that State and Local Officials relied upon in their filing of this Felony Charge against Reardon was a restraining order that was taken out in 2017 by the then Mayor-Elect, Robyn Tannehill, whom they alleged was inside of City Hall at the time Reardon entered, although no contact was made nor did Reardon even attempt to make any type of contact with.
After the initial $10,000 appearance bond set by Circuit Court Judge Kent Smith was revoked at the request of the District Attorneys Office, Reardon sat confined and fully deprived of his freedom and liberty for 3-months time. Over the course of that time, Reardon was hit with several orders and timely deadlines requiring his response to ongoing litigation in not just one, not even two, but three separate courts, both State and Federal. Unfortunately the conditions of his incarceration would ultimately deprive and prevent him from providing his response within the timeframe required by each Court. Of these included a Motion for Dismissal coincidentally filed the DAY AFTER Reardon was arrested (June 29, 2022) where the State of Mississippi sought the dismissal of an ongoing Federal Lawsuit that Reardon had filed back in April alleging a plethora of Civil Rights Violations stemming from an alleged Conspiracy involving State and County Officials, along with Employees of Communicare. Reardon had until September 15, 2022 to respond to the pending motion, however he was unable to respond to the States Motion for Dismissal due to the conditions of his incarceration and a lack of resources or ability to do so.
What strikes even more of a “coincidence” is that Reardon was currently Appealing the denial of his Post Conviction Relief Petition which raised multiple alleged fatal flaws and Constitutional Rights Violations in an attempt to directly challenge his Plea in 2017. This appeal had been filed and assigned to the Mississippi Court of Appeals, and the court was awaiting Reardon’s submission of a corrected motion for rehearing after Reardon asked the Court to recall his timely filed motion in order to fix certain discrepancies and printing errors. On June 27, 2022, just days after Reardon made this request, orders reportedly came down the Chain of Command for The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations to Charge Matthew Reardon with one count of Aggravated Stalking, a Felony Charge. Due to the confinement that would follow with his bond now revoked, Reardon was unable to submit the necessary Motion for Rehearing into the Court of Appeals in order to keep his Appeal alive and potentially going before The Mississippi Supreme Court via a Writ or Certiorari. A successful reversal or relief granted on the appeal would potentially be a major issue for the District Attorney’s Office in that this new charge REQUIRES a previous similar conviction within the past 7 years in order for them to bring such a serious charge. A potential make or break moment for the District Attorney’s Office. A June 28th arrest, however, would stop Reardon from his opportunity to prevail on appeal and would effectively seal the deal for the County and the State in more ways than just one
On August 24 with Reardon nearing 2 months incarceration, he received a third and final order. This order would come from Lafayette County Chancery Court Judge Robert Whitwell regarding lengthy litigation involving Reardon’s first born child that has seemingly dragged out in and out of the court house for years. This order would essentially close out Reardon’s claims presented to the court in an order of dismissal with prejudice after he was unable to argue it’s facts and merits on June 28, 2022 when he was taken into custody prior to walking into the courtroom in Chancery Court. Prior to walking into the courtroom Reardon was advised that the Judge had ordered all entering be searched for any cell phones or recording devices, however, this move was unprecedented as it had never before been ordered and required. Furthermore, Reardon claims that such an order was aimed solely at him, that it authorized an unlawful search and seizure in violation of his Fourth Amendment Rights, and was unenforceable as the Court never first sought permission of such a requirement by the Supreme Court in advance as would be required. In the order Reardon received August 24th, Whitwell claimed among other things that not only was Reardon’s visitation rights with his daughter severed, but his joint legal custody of his daughter was severed by the court. Reardon would ultimately be on the time-clock to dispute the ruling with 30-days to do so. Unfortunately as with the other required responses, Reardon found himself without the ability to do so due to his confinement. See the order for yourself below
On September 30, 2022 and At the strong advisement of his public defender based upon risks at trial beginning with the State and County exploiting loopholes in their own criminal statute and applying uncanny political influence, Reardon offered a plea of guilty and was given 5-Years unsupervised probation (non-reporting) along with him being banished from Lafayette County for the same period of time. This marks the second time now Lafayette County has applied Wild West Justice and told Reardon to get out of town. Reardon says he was set on taking this matter to trial, seeking full vindication on the alleged charge, however he was advised that his best viable option to regain his freedom was to take the plea and agree to the banishment due to uncertainty that would come at a jury trial, the highly influential people involved, and the testimony given by the 8 individuals that testified against Reardon at his preliminary hearing which led to the revocation of his bail.
The following day after Reardon was released from the Lafayette County Detention Center following his 3-month stay, he formally addressed the matter for the first time while ripping into the local news agencies for grandstanding and capitalizing on a matter that should have been heavily scrutinized and furthers shielding information that should have been disseminated to the public. This is what Reardon had to say:
“I plan on giving a more detailed response in the upcoming days regarding the serious legal matter that resulted from my walking into Oxford, MS City Hall on June 20, 2022 to conduct what I clearly stated was a Constitutionally Protected and completely harmless 1st Amendment Audit of the inside of City Hall as an Independent Journalist. In the meantime I need to stress a few things that have been weighing on my mind. I know my actions were clearly self evidenced in the video below which was uploaded to YouTube the same day, and the absolutely despicable charge of aggravated stalking levied against me 1-week later. Then there is the revocation of the initial appearance bond given, followed by the subsequent incarceration of me for 3 months during a time when my wife and kids needed me the most which demonstrate without a doubt the largest grandstanding overreaction by Lafayette County and it’s officials. The completely biased articles written by Magnolia State Live and HottyToddy.com and The Oxford Eagle show one side of everything which was HIGHLY doctored and manipulated. To make matters even worse I have no doubt that the latest unfair and completely biased attacks are far from over. I believe the resulting damage caused by The State of Mississippi, Local Officials, and particularly these media outlets have left a permanent stain on the Constitutional Rights afforded to all citizens. Most certainly in regards to Freedom of the Press and Journalism. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist, and quite honestly it doesn’t take one with an IQ above 20, to see in the Video of that which transpired that I never once asked to see Mayor Robyn Tannehill, never once saw Mayor Robyn Tannehill, and never did anything remotely perceivable as a threat. I was, as stated from the beginning, solely engaged in a constitutionally protected activity of simply filming the publicly accessible spaces and the decorated interior of City Hall, A PUBLIC BUILDING! It never had the slightest involvement with the Mayor as was unfairly blown out of proportion. A contempt violation on a five year old restraining order should have been it and even that would be highly questionable. Certainly not a Felony Charge of Aggravated Stalking, AND MOST DEFINITELY not getting ransacked with BOTH! We live in a cruel, sick, and sinister society that continues to digress in showing it’s ugly, dirty hand that always seems to revolve around politics. I know I have God on my side. I’m far from a “monster” as was reported from the slew of untrue testimony from the ones that truly deserve that label. There is Pure evil in the hearts of some in this county. In the Bible, Luke 12 verse 2-3 sums it up perfectly in saying that “the secrets will be uncovered, the truth will come forth, and God’s thought about every behavior and action will be vindicated. What’s done in the dark will come to light, and thank God he has created it to operate so!” The legal system has lost its integrity. The “Community” has lost its morals and decency. It’s ludicrous to me that People charged with manslaughter and murder are given bonds in this same God-Forsaken County, meanwhile I had NO weapon, threatened ABSOLUTELY no one yet this independent journalist recording in a publicly accessible building is clearly and unfairly portrayed as the true threat and completely deprived of his freedom and liberty in order to achieve the county’s ultimate two goals: To abscond from liability from not only this but another legal matter (Lawsuit), and to seek a second banishment from Lafayette County to the previous recipricantt of Wild West Justice. The true motive and motivation of this political WITCHHUNT by the State of Mississippi and Lafayette County can’t and won’t be ignored and avoided. That I solemnly swear.. These are the facts the news media refused to report on when they decided to cover this story.”
Matt Reardon
