September 8, 2016
Alabama teen found not guilty of terrorism charge
An Alabama teen has been found not guilty after he was accused of trying to aid terrorists.
Al.com reports that Peyton Pruitt of St. Clair County was found not guilty Thursday by reason of mental defect. His lawyers say the 19-year-old Pruitt will undergo another mental evaluation at a mental facility.
Last year, Pruitt was arrested and charged with soliciting support for a terrorist act. Court records state that Pruitt tried to steer resources worth less than $1,000 to terrorism.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/09/08/alabama-teen-found-not-guilty-terrorism-charge.html
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September 8, 2016
12:26 PM
St. Clair teen with IQ of 51 found not guilty of soliciting terrorist act
A St. Clair County teenager accused of soliciting support for a terrorist act was found not guilty by reason of mental defect in court this morning.
Lawyers for Peyton Jack Pruitt, 19, of Wattsville, say he will undergo another mental evaluation with Tuscaloosa's Taylor Hardin Secure Mental Facility before a final decision is made on his disposition.
Pruitt was arrested Nov. 13, 2015, charged with soliciting support for a terrorist act.
At a December hearing, witnesses described Pruitt as a "child" - a teenager with an IQ in the 50s who cannot tie his own shoes, soils his clothes, has little verbal skills and lacks the ability to distinguish reality from fantasy.
Yet a St. Clair County investigator then testified that the FBI determined Pruitt used the Internet to communicate with what he believed were representatives of the Islamic State and the Pakistani Taliban, and that he told an FBI agent that he provided links to encrypted information on car bombs, pressure cooker bombs and suggested high value targets for acts of terrorism.
A May mental evaluation found Pruitt has a mental defect and is "not a danger to himself or the community."
James Gallini, Pruitt's attorney, said he is pleased with the verdict. If found guilty, Pruitt could have faced 10 years in prison.
"Of course, his evaluation earlier this year showed he has a mental defect, so we're appreciative to the district attorney for not challenging those results," Gallini said. "We agree that Peyton poses not risk to himself or the community at large, and we're confident another evaluation will show this."
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"Did Peyton do wrong? Yes. Did he understand his actions? No," the statement reads. "He has been deemed completely safe and is in no danger to himself or anyone else. Peyton is harmless."
In the statement, the family asks Peyton be given "a second chance at life" after "a truly devastating ordeal."
"It is important to the family for the general public to please try and understand that Peyton is a disabled boy who went through a time of confusion and is of no risk to public safety," it reads. "We apologize for what has happened to the concerned citizens of Alabama and St. Clair County."
http://www.al.com/news/anniston-gad...h_iq_of_51_found_not_g.html#incart_river_home