Initially, Morgan Wallen delighted Nashville fans when he stopped by Eric Church’s brand-new bar, Chiefs. But after he began partying on the rooftop section of the bar, Morgan allegedly did something incredibly shocking. Now, media outlets claim that Morgan’s illegal stunt could earn him a six-year prison sentence if he’s found guilty of the serious charges against him.
At approximately 11 p.m. on Sunday, April 7th, Morgan allegedly threw a chair off the rooftop of Chief’s bar. The chair became a dangerous flying object. It crash-landed very close to where two members of the Metropolitan Nashville police department were standing on Broadway.
People Magazine reported on April 10th that the chance is “very remote” that Morgan will see the inside of a jail cell. But now, a lawyer says that that might not be the case.
People spoke to a “legal expert,” a Nashville criminal defense attorney named David Raybin. David is not involved with Morgan’s case and can’t confirm whether Morgan will serve time or for how long. But there’s another side to this story, and it could negatively impact Morgan.
Because that falling chair could have seriously or even fatally injured members of law enforcement, David claims that Morgan could be hit with a much harsher penalty from the judge. There are other questions that need to be answered in this twisted story. David tried to set the record straight.
He explained that the “reckless endangerment” charges are serious Class E felonies. The three felony charges against Morgan “could carry one to two years in prison per count, as well as probation.” That means Morgan could face a maximum sentence of six years behind bars for each felony count, with time served for each count occurring consecutively (meaning, one after the other).
Morgan Might Get Sentenced “to Send a Message”
Then there’s the question on everyone’s mind: how will Morgan’s fame affect his punishment?
Although Morgan is a superstar, that’s not the only reason he might not get the maximum sentence. David explained that “consecutive time” is mainly considered for serious repeat offenders and the “extreme dangerousness of the offense.”
David said he didn’t “want to minimize” what Morgan did and repeated that Morgan committed a “serious offense.” But David seriously doubts that Morgan will serve “consecutive time” for this incident.
RELATED: Morgan Wallen Arrested After Allegedly Throwing Chair
Shockingly, David did suggest that Morgan might get “some sort of sentence to send a message” for pulling a stunt that had the potential to hurt or even fatally injure someone on the street below.
However, Morgan isn’t a repeat offender or a hardened criminal with a record of extremely dangerous activity. Because of this, David believes he could face “a maximum of two years, assuming he was not put on probation.”
David explained, “It’s the risk that’s punishable, not what actually happened.” According to what David told People, the “caliber” of Morgan’s fame will make the verdict in his case “more complicated than the average offender.”
Morgan Was Laughing When He Threw the Chair
Inside sources have alleged that Morgan appeared to be drinking too much at the rooftop bar before he tossed that chair. If that’s the real truth, Morgan’s judgment was obviously impaired.
But he didn’t get into serious trouble until the chair landed far too close to those MNPD officers, who investigated immediately and quickly took Morgan into custody.
People.com reported that 30-year-old Morgan was arrested on the scene. He was charged with “felony reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct by Metro Nashville police.”
The Metro Nashville police X account confirmed further details in a post on Monday, April 8th. At last check, the post had received 2.2 million views and included a shocking mugshot of Morgan. In it, he was grinning at the MNPD camera as if nothing serious had happened.
Metro Nashville police described Morgan as a “country artist.” He was booked early in the morning of April 8th on “three counts of felony reckless endangerment and one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct” for tossing that chair over the roof of the bar.
Taste of Country told another side of this story. Their information came directly from the two Nashville police officers involved in the flying chair incident. The police officers alleged that they “were standing in front of Chiefs Bar on Broadway” when the chair Morgan threw from six stories overhead landed “just feet away” from where they stood.
Staff at Chief’s bar also provided a video to MNPD that allegedly showed Morgan was the only person responsible for tossing that chair off the roof. Shockingly, inside sources also told MNPD that Morgan began “laughing” after he tossed the chair off the building.
The Prosecution Has to Find a Middle Course
The X post from Metro Nashville police confirmed that Morgan was released on a $15,250 bond. People obtained court records that said Morgan is due to appear in a Nashville courtroom on May 3rd for “settlement” purposes.
So what exactly does that mean? David thinks there will also be a “debate” over how Morgan’s case is “handled” in court. The crazy reason for that is simply because Morgan is a huge celebrity.
According to David, the “question” is whether Morgan will be treated “too lightly or too harshly” because of his fame. In this rare kind of case, David says that the prosecutor “tries to steer a middle course.”
That means Morgan won’t receive just a “$10 fine.” On the other hand, David thinks that the prosecutor won’t toss Morgan in prison for the maximum amount of time because he’s a famous guy who could have hurt or fatally wounded two police officers.
David told People, “The challenge is going to be for both sides to reach a disposition that’s fair and accurate.” However, he sincerely believes that the court will want to “deter that behavior.”
Without speculating too much, the best example David could provide was a real scenario he’s encountered in his law career. In this example, an alleged offender’s sentence was “split.” That means the offender spent ten days behind bars for their crime, and the rest of their sentence was completed on probation.
David explained that a split sentence is a “modest amount of incarceration.” The court intends to send a message that “this is just wrong.” David doesn’t believe Morgan will be sent to jail for two years.
Morgan Has a Concert on the Day of His Court Appearance
The other consequence that Morgan faces is called “diversion.” David told People that’s “usually how those cases are disposed of.” Diversion means that Morgan’s record will be expunged if he pleads guilty and completes his probation—but there’s a twist.
According to David, the fact that MNPD officers were involved “aggravates the case a lot.” This means that Morgan could still face limited jail time in addition to a longer sentence completed under probation.
RELATED: This is Why Morgan Wallen Lost It
This is wild, but Morgan has a concert scheduled in Nashville on May 3rd, the same day as his court appearance. Morgan is headlining at Nissan Stadium, and it’s expected that 69,000 fans will be in attendance.
If you don’t know who Worrick Robinson is, he’s Morgan’s actual attorney. Worrick hasn’t been nearly as talkative with the media as David was, but he released a statement on Morgan’s behalf.
Worrick’s statement confirmed that Morgan was arrested in downtown Nashville at 10:53 p.m. on April 7th. Worrick also declared that Morgan “is cooperating fully with authorities.” As far as Morgan’s lawyer goes, that’s all he wrote until Morgan appears before a judge in Nashville this May.
