Alabama judge refuses dismissal in Confederate chair theft
An Alabama judge has refused to dismiss an indictment against a New Orleans tattoo artist accused in a bizarre theft in which a chair-shaped Confederate monument was taken from a cemetery and held for ransom. Dallas County Circuit Judge Collins Pettaway Jr. refused to dismiss charges of theft and receiving stolen property against Jason Warnick, 33, in a brief decision released Thursday. The judge rejected defense claims that there were problems with the indictment charging Warnick in the disappearance last year of a chair-shaped monument to Confederate President Jefferson Davis from 200-year-old Live Oak Cemetery in Selma. Warnick also claimed there wasn’t enough evidence to arrest him, but the judge refused to dismiss the charge. Warnick was set to go on trial on Monday, but Pettaway delayed the case and scheduled a hearing for June 16. Placed at the cemetery in 1893 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the chair vanished from its base last year in Selma, which was a Confederate arsenal during the Civil War and also is widely known as the site of voting rights demonstrations by Black activists in the 1960s. An email claiming to be from a group called White Lies Matter claimed responsibility and said the chair would be returned only if the United Daughters of the Confederacy agreed to display a banner at its Virginia headquarters bearing a quote from a Black Liberation Army activist. The email also included images of a fake chair with a hole cut in the seat like a toilet and a man dressed in Confederate garb. Authorities who arrested Warnick said the real chair was spotted at his tattoo parlor in New Orleans, where he was charged with receiving stolen property before the case was dismissed. Warnick is innocent and had never been to Selma before he went to the city to surrender on the theft charge, the defense argues. The chair, which the United Daughters of the Confederacy valued at $500,000, was returned to the cemetery and glued to its base. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama trial delayed for New Orleans man in monument theft
A judge has delayed the trial of a New Orleans man charged with stealing a chair-shaped Confederate monument from an Alabama cemetery in a bizarre ransom scheme. Jason Warnick had been scheduled to stand trial next month in Selma on charges of theft and receiving stolen property, but Dallas County Circuit Judge Collins Pettaway Jr. recently rescheduled the case until May 9 at the request of the defense, court documents show. One of Warnick’s attorneys underwent surgery after being injured in a motorcycle crash and would have a difficult time traveling for the trial, the defense said in its request. Warnick, 33, was charged last year following the theft of a chair-shaped memorial that was taken from a cemetery in Selma. Warnick is innocent, his attorney has said. The case began last spring when news outlets began receiving emails with an unusual ransom demand involving a chair-shaped monument honoring Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The memorial was placed in the cemetery by the United Daughters of the Confederacy about 130 years ago. A message claiming to be from a group called White Lies Matter said the chair would be returned only if the heritage group agreed to display a banner at its Virginia headquarters bearing a quote from a Black Liberation Army activist. The email also included images of a fake chair with a hole cut in the seat like a toilet and a man dressed as a Confederate soldier. New Orleans police said they found the real chair undamaged and arrested Warnick, who has a tattoo shop in New Orleans, and two others. Louisiana prosecutors dropped a charge of possession of stolen property against Warnick and the others, but Alabama prosecutors are moving ahead with the case against Warnick. The chair has since been returned to Live Oak Cemetery in Selma, where it was secured to its base with glue. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama pushes rebel monument case after Louisiana dismissal
An Alabama prosecutor said Wednesday that he had no plans to dismiss an indictment in an unusual ransom plot involving a stolen Confederate monument, despite a decision by prosecutors in Louisiana to drop related charges there. District Attorney Michael Jackson said he was moving ahead with the case against Jason Warnick, who was charged earlier this year with the theft of a chair-shaped memorial that was taken from a cemetery in Selma. Records show an additional charge of receiving stolen property was added against Warnick in August. Louisiana prosecutors dropped a charge of possession of stolen property against Warnick, 32, and two others, girlfriend Kathryn Diionno, 24, and Stanley Pate, 35. Court records do not give a reason for the decision. Michael Kennedy, a lawyer for Warnick, said his client is innocent and the Alabama case should be dismissed, too. “As we have contended from the outset, our clients were in no way involved in any theft and certainly were not aware if they were in possession of any stolen item,” he said in an email. Placed in the cemetery about 130 years ago by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the monument honors Confederate President Jefferson Davis. It vanished last spring, and news outlets then began receiving emails with an unusual ransom demand. A message claiming to be from a group called White Lies Matter took responsibility and said the chair would be returned only if the United Daughters of the Confederacy agreed to display a banner at its Virginia headquarters bearing a quote from a Black Liberation Army activist. The email also included images of a fake chair with a hole cut in the seat like a toilet and a man dressed in Confederate garb. But New Orleans police said they found the real chair undamaged in early April and arrested Warnick and Diionno, who have a tattoo shop. Pate was arrested days later. The chair has since been returned to Live Oak Cemetery in Selma, where it was secured to its base with thick adhesive. Jackson, the Alabama prosecutor, said he planned to speak with Louisiana authorities about their decision to drop charges there. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Arrest warrant issued for man in Confederate monument theft
Police in Alabama have issued an arrest warrant for a man in connection with the bizarre theft of a Confederate monument that was taken from an Alabama cemetery and found in Louisiana. Selma police charged Jason Warnick with theft in connection with the mysterious disappearance of the chair-shaped monument, Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson said Monday. Warnick was already facing charges of possession of stolen property after police said the monument ended up in his New Orleans tattoo shop. An attorney for Warnick said he denied being involved with the theft, which sparked national news stories before the monument was recovered. “This knowledge is very new, but we are in contact with the Selma Police Department and will be making plans over the next few days,” attorney Michael Kennedy wrote in an email. “That being said, Mr. Warnick categorically denies any involvement with the theft of this memorial art installation and intends to defend himself and his reputation vigorously.” Warnick and two other people were previously charged with possession of the chair after it went missing. The strange saga began March 20 when a representative of the United Daughters of the Confederacy reported to police that the “Jefferson Davis Memorial Chair” had gone missing from Live Oak Cemetery, located in a riverside city known worldwide for its links to the civil rights movement. The chair has no direct connection to Davis, the president of the Confederacy, but it was a monument to him located near other rebel monuments in a private section of the city-owned cemetery. Someone sent an email signed “White Lies Matter” to news outlets claiming responsibility and saying the chair would be returned only if the United Daughters of the Confederacy agreed to display a banner at their Virginia headquarters bearing a quote from a Black Liberation Army activist. A later email included photos of someone wearing Union soldier garb posing on a chair that looked like the missing one but with a hole cut out of the seat. A final email said those photos were fake, and the real chair was being returned unscathed. The chair-shaped monument, which the United Daughters of the Confederacy valued at $500,000, was recovered in New Orleans. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
3rd person arrested in stolen Confederate monument case
A third person has been arrested in connection with a stolen Confederate monument, New Orleans police said. Stanley Pate turned himself in Friday after being wanted in connection for possession of stolen property, the New Orleans Police Department said. Jason Warnick and Kathryn Diionno were arrested earlier. The chair-shaped monument was recovered in New Orleans after it was taken last month from a cemetery in Selma, Alabama. Someone later sent an email signed “White Lies Matter” claiming responsibility, and then sent fake photos pretending the chair had been turned into a toilet. Lawyers representing Warnick and Diionno said in a statement that the pair are innocent. It is not immediately known if Pate has a lawyer to comment. The monument has since been returned to the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Lawyer says 2 arrested had no role in Confederate chair theft
A lawyer for of the two people arrested on charges of possessing a stolen Confederate monument that was taken from an Alabama cemetery said the pair had nothing to do with the theft of the artifact, calling it a misunderstanding. The chair-shaped monument was recovered in New Orleans after it was removed from a cemetery in Selma, Alabama. Someone later sent an email signed “White Lies Matter” claiming responsibility, and then sent fake photos pretending the chair had been turned into a toilet. New Orleans police said last week that Jason Warnick and Kathryn Diionno were arrested on charges of having stolen property in their possession. Authorities said they are also searching for another man in connection with the case. “This is just a big mistake. It really is,” said attorney Michael Kennedy, who represents Warnick. “They had no role in stealing the chair. They have no ties to White Lies Matter.” The strange saga began March 20 when a representative of the United Daughters of the Confederacy reported to police that the “Jefferson Davis Memorial Chair” had gone missing from the Alabama cemetery. The chair has no direct connection to Davis, the president of the Confederacy, but it is a monument to him that sits with other Confederate monuments in a private section of the cemetery. Someone sent an email signed “White Lies Matter” to news outlets earlier claiming responsibility and saying the chair would be returned only if the United Daughters of the Confederacy agreed to display a banner at their Virginia headquarters bearing a quote from a Black Liberation Army activist. “Jefferson Davis doesn’t need it anymore. He’s long dead,” the email read. The United Daughters of the Confederacy local representative told police for the initial theft report that the chair was worth $500,000 although it was not known how the value was determined. A later email included photos of someone wearing Confederate garb posing on a chair, that looked like the missing one, with a hole cut out. And then finally an email said the chair was fake and the real chair was being returned unscathed. The Times-Picayune / The New Orleans Advocate reported that investigators received a tip that the monument was being held inside a storage room at a tattoo shop. Police obtained a search warrant and did not find it. But surveillance video showed a masked woman with a unique tattoo on her right forearm helping five people take the hulking monument out of the shop and load it into the back of a U-Haul van, cops said. Police said they determined Diionno has the same tattoo — of a candlestick — on her right forearm. Michael Jackson, the district attorney in Selma, said he anticipates that Warnick and Diionno will face additional charges in the chair’s theft. Kennedy said that would be a mistake because the two had nothing to do with the theft. “If that is the way they are going, they are very off base,” Kennedy said. A person responding from the “White Lies Matter” address last week said he, or she, couldn’t disclose why the chair was taken to New Orleans but said police were told they could recover it at a certain intersection. The person wrote that those involved in the theft wanted to make a point about residual racism and used what the writer called a bit of “comedy” to garner attention. “The chair is back now. But the racial caste system is also alive and thriving,” the person wrote. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
