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Bellwood parents charges dropped

Case stemmed from fracas at BASD board meeting

Charges were dropped against seven Bellwood-Antis School District parents, according to court documents in Tyrone District Court, WTAJ reported.

The parents were charged after becoming disruptive at the Feb. 1 school board meeting where they demanded answers in the wake of the Ryan L. Blazier sexual assault case.

According to court documents, misdemeanor charges were dropped against Justin Lynn Alley, 41, of Tyrone, and Troy Christopher Alley, 37, of Bellwood. Police said they used vulgar language and refused to leave the meeting at Myers Elementary.

Also dismissed were non-traffic summary offenses against Tracie Leann Alley, 59, of Bellwood; Becki Lee Yon, 36, of Altoona; Michael Scott Dougherty, 45, of Bellwood; Jennifer L. Parkes, 50, of Bellwood; and Rochelle Lynn Simpson, 38, of Bellwood, according to court documents.

In a letter to Magisterial District Judge Fred Miller requesting the cases be withdrawn, Assistant Chief Deputy Attorney General Daniel Dye said that after reviewing all evidence of the Feb. 1 school board meeting, it was found the charges “lack prosecutorial merit.”

The charges came “from a group of parents expressing displeasure with certain school board officials regarding the school district’s response to children being sexually assaulted by a school employee,” the prosecutor stated in the filing.

On multiple occasions, the parents sought information regarding the case, but Superintendent Thomas McInroy said the district could not make comments due to an ongoing lawsuit.

According to the letter asking for the withdrawal of the charges, the Attorney General’s Office reviewed all the charges, all available evidence, including videos, as well as state and federal law, including U.S. Supreme Court precedent regarding public speech in a public forum, WTAJ reported.

Blazier was sentenced to at least 21 years in prison after being found guilty of sexual assault of two boys.

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