We cover so many stories and events that it’s hard to follow up on a lot. I have over 10,000 posts myself, and as a website we have almost 20,000 posts.Usually it’s some external reminder (a Facebook Memories notice, a Tweet, or something similar) that triggers an update post. And that’s what happened this time, I received a Facebook Memories reminder of my August 27, 2015 post, that on one year ago charges were dropped against Lane Pittman.Do you remember Pittman? Doesn’t ring a bell?Pittman was the Florida rocker who was charged with disrupting the peace for playing the Star Spangled banner on July 4th in Neptune Beach, near Jacksonville, Florida man arrested for playing Star Spangled Banner on 4th of July rejects plea deal:
On July 4, 2015, 22 year-old Lane Pittman decided to take his electric guitar and play the Star Spangled Banner on the street outside his friend’s house in Neptune Beach, near Jacksonville.Pittman says that after a police officer asked him to stop, he asked if it was okay to play on the sidewalk, and was told that was okay. And play he did:
“I don’t think I ever played that song as good in my life as I did on that day. It felt right. It was an emotional roller coaster.”
The crowd topped 200 people, spilling onto the street around him….
Then Pittman was, to his surprise, arrested for breaching the peace:
Pittman said what happened next took him completely by surprise. The officers handcuffed him and drove him to the police station.“He goes, ‘Spread your legs. Put your hands behind your back,’ and that was when I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. Is he serious? I’m getting arrested for this after I was told I could do it?’” Pittman said.“Out of respect for the national anthem, they let them finish the National Anthem,” Neptune Beach Police Chief David Sembach said. “He was told he was going to have to stop playing. He went to the sidewalk and continued playing, and it was only after that that the crowd was getting hostile, so the only way to stop it, since he wasn’t going to stop playing, was to take him out of the location.”
The video quickly gained over 300,000 views, and Pittman’s case received national media attention:
The Neptune Police received a flood of messages demanding freedom for Pittman, and felt compelled to post an explanation on Facebook, which concluded as follows:
I would like to personally thank Lane Pittman for being one of the few people who did not call, email, text, or Facebook the NBPD with hate filled diatribe toward the Neptune Beach Police Department – The calls for us to “Die” were particularly interesting.In closing, we understand that Mr. Pittman is what many people describe as a “Great Dude”. We don’t dispute that. Moving forward we wish Mr. Pittman the best of luck with his entertainment career. If you are interested in his aspirations follow him on Instagram @thebigguy904 or FaceBook @Lane Pittman for Jaxson DeVille.Sincerely,David Sembach, Chief of Police
Pittman rejected a plea deal:
Pittman’s lawyer, Caleb D. Rowland, would not comment directly on plea negotiations, but did confirm that the offer of diversion made in court was rejected outright by Pittman, and added:
“Mr. Pittman is committed to seeing this through trial, if necessary. He believes, and I completely agree, he did nothing illegal, and was simply celebrating his freedoms as an American by playing one hell of a version of the National Anthem on Independence Day.”
Pittman is not a likely candidate for legal trouble: “He has no criminal record, plays in his church’s band, is a high school lacrosse coach and well-known in the community.”
The Eyes of the World were focused on the Neptune courthouse as the day of judgment approached. Pittman emerged victorious, all charges dropped, as we reported, Charges dropped against Florida man who played Star Spangled Banner on 4th of July
I just received word from Caleb Rowland, the attorney for Lane Pittman, that the charges against Pittman for playing the Star Spangled Banner on the 4th of July in Neptune Beach, Florida:
Despite the delay, Mr. Pittman is pleased the State’s Attorney’s office declined to prosecute him for expressing his patriotism and exercising his First Amendment right by playing the National Anthem on Independence Day.
…. Pittman posted the following message and Victory Selfie on Facebook:
#VictorySelfie ALL. GLORY. TO GOD. The State Attorney’s office has decided to drop all charges!!!! SO pumped!! Thank you for all the prayers, kind words, and thoughts!! It means the world!! I want to thank my attorney Caleb Rowland for all the work he did for me. Can’t even explain the way I’m feeling. God is so good!! #FREEDOM #letitringbaby #DTWD #notaconvict #TURNUP #justiceprevailed #hallelujah #igersjax #DUUUVAAALLL #faceoffreedom #redwhitenblue #13stars50bars #merica
[Lane Pittman Victory Selfie w Caleb Rowland, via Facebook]
Soon after that Pittman received numerous invitations to play the National Anthem at various events:
So whatever happened to Pittman?
I sent Pittman a Facebook message asking for an update:
Hey, you may remember I wrote a lot about your case. I just noticed it’s been one year since the charges were dropped, and I might write a follow up. Can you send me a statement either by FB message or to my email address about what has happened to you the past year, any fall out from the incident (did it help or hurt or make no difference in your career or involvement in the community), etc.?
Pittman sent me this response:
Yeah man! I’m actually in the UK right now….It’s been one heck of a year since I got everything cleared up. God has worked some amazing stuff through it!I’ve had numerous paying gigs for playing the Anthem all over town. It has helped me and my band KSICK book more venues because of it. And who ever gets tired of hearing freedom ring?I think the best one was from last Oktoberfest in Jax Beach when I opened up for The Expendables. I played literally in front of thousands of people. Something I never thought would happen.I have also been able to do last years and this years Connection Festival. So awesome. I’ve been able to share my testimony all over the place and how God can use the craziest of situations for the good of those who love Him. It’s wild.I’m in the U.K. right now and had a kid ask me if I was that guy from YouTube while I was touring the Windsor Castle! Ahah it’s so crazy. I can’t wait to see where God takes me next!
It’s good to hear that things are working out for Pittman.
And that he hasn’t lost his flair for the dramatic, as in this video he posted on Facebook and Instagram during his visit to the UK:
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