Police – Accident – Death – Obituary News :

The co-captain of the Harriott II riverboat, who was previously identified as a victim in the violent brawl that took place at Montgomery Riverfront Park in August, has now been charged with third-degree assault. Dameion Pickett, the co-captain, has been accused of assault by Zachary “Chase” Shipman, one of the individuals involved in the altercation. Shipman filed a complaint against Pickett on October 25, and Pickett was subsequently charged in Montgomery Municipal Court on October 26. His arraignment is scheduled for November 21. Interestingly, Pickett was not arrested or booked into jail as per Montgomery municipal court records.

The assault charges initially stemmed from the incident that took place on August 5, where Shipman, Richard Roberts, Allen Todd, and Mary Todd were accused by the City of Montgomery of attacking Pickett. Another individual named Reggie Ray was also charged with disorderly conduct on August 11. However, it is worth noting that Pickett was not charged immediately after the incident, and the current charges against him were not filed by the City of Montgomery or The Montgomery Police Department.

According to Pickett, the altercation occurred when he attempted to relocate a pontoon boat that was blocking the designated docking spot for the city-owned riverboat. He claimed that after pushing the boat a few feet down the dock, the boaters assaulted him. However, the exact details of the altercation and the events leading up to it are still under investigation.

On November 9, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed and Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert released a joint statement regarding Pickett’s charges. They stated, “The City of Montgomery and Montgomery Police Department have been made aware that one of the individuals involved in the incident at Montgomery Riverfront Park on August 5 has filed charges against [Harriott II] co-captain Dameion Pickett. Neither the City nor the Montgomery Police Department filed these charges. The Montgomery Police Department’s investigation only lists Mr. Pickett as a victim.”

In relation to the brawl, Richard Roberts and Mary Todd, both residents of Selma, pleaded guilty to charges in Montgomery Municipal Court on October 26. Roberts faced misdemeanor charges for two counts of third-degree assault against Pickett and 16-year-old deckhand Daniel Warren, while Mary Todd pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of misdemeanor harassment of Pickett. As part of her plea agreement, Mary Todd was ordered to complete anger management classes.

Roberts was sentenced to a four-month suspended sentence, with the condition that he serve 32 days on weekends starting from November 4 in Perry County. Any violation of this agreement will result in the full four-month sentence being served, in addition to completing 100 hours of community service.

The cases of Allen Todd, Zachary Shipman, and Reggie Ray have been postponed until November 16. Todd and Shipman are each facing one count of third-degree assault, while Ray has been accused of assaulting a woman with a folding chair during the altercation.

Terry Luck, one of Shipman’s attorneys, has requested that Judge Samarria Munnerlyn Dunson recuse herself from the case, claiming that his clients cannot receive a fair trial in municipal court. Luck’s motion alleges that Judge Dunson called the plea process unfair to Pickett, while also stating that the City of Montgomery and Pickett approved the plea offers. The motion further argues that Pickett received preferential treatment as a city employee. It highlights the fact that Pickett was only issued a summons and not arrested, unlike Shipman and Allen Todd, who had to spend twelve hours in jail confinement despite posting bond.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) conducted an investigation into the incident as a possible hate crime, but found no evidence to support claims of racial motivation for the brawl.

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