Country Star Faces Felony Charges after Rooftop Chair Tossing Incident

Clear Facts

• Morgan Wallen, a Grammy-nominated country music singer, was charged with three counts of reckless endangerment and one count of disorderly conduct after throwing a chair from the rooftop of a six-story bar in early April.
• Rither Alabre, former New York prosecutor, stated that Wallen could potentially face up to six years in prison due to his felony charges. The incident was reported by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.
• The incident occurred following Wallen’s ex-girlfriend, Katie “KT” Smith, eloping with her fiancé, an event that sources suggest may have contributed to Wallen’s emotional state during the chair-throwing episode.

Country music artist Morgan Wallen has found himself embroiled in yet another controversy. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department reported that Wallen was charged with three felony counts of reckless endangerment and a misdemeanor disorderly conduct count after he allegedly threw a chair from a six-story bar’s rooftop in the early hours of April 8.

Despite Wallen’s release from custody on a $15,250 bond and the lack of serious injuries, the incident didn’t pass without potential legal ramifications. Rither Alabre, a former prosecutor from New York and current partner of the White Collar Defense & Investigation Practice Group at Blank Rome LLP, has provided his professional perspective on the matter.

Alabre commented on Wallen’s situation, stating, “Wallen could be facing up to six years in prison for the felony charges alone.”
He further explained that the reckless endangerment charges were elevated to a “class E felony,” due to the chair’s landing proximity to police officers and the public, deeming it “a deadly weapon.”

Arrest documents reported that the chair landed “approximately three feet away from two officers” and bystanders. The report also referenced security footage capturing Wallen “lunging and throwing an object over the roof” of a bar in downtown Nashville.

Alabre opined, “For the Class E felony charges of reckless endangerment, Wallen is facing not less than one year nor more than six years in prison.”
He further indicated that it’s “unlikely that the charges would be completely dismissed” given the available video footage and witness statements.

Regarding the next steps, Alabre suggested that Wallen’s legal representation will likely “engage with prosecutors and try to resolve this matter with a plea to a lesser charge, either a misdemeanor or even possibly a lower charge where he would face little to no jail time.”
He added, “While these are serious allegations, since there are no reports of injuries to the public, Wallen’s lawyer may ultimately be able to resolve this matter with a non-jail disposition such as probation, but it is too early to predict at this point what may be a realistic disposition.”

The incident’s cause remains unknown, as does the potential involvement of other parties. However, it has been suggested that Wallen’s behavior may be connected to recent changes in his personal life.

Specifically, Wallen’s ex-girlfriend and mother of his 3-year-old son, Katie “KT” Smith, recently eloped with her fiancé, Luke Scornavacco. An unnamed source claimed, “KT’s marriage to Luke last week just crushed him.”
The source continued, “Morgan has never gotten over her even though he couldn’t stay faithful to her. And now another man is going to be raising his son.”

These circumstances point to a possibly tumultuous emotional state that might have contributed to the artist’s reckless actions. The events are still unfolding, and further information will likely surface in the days to come.

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