PinkNews: “Alex Barnett, 20, was tried in Faulkner County District Court in December 2022 and convicted of criminal trespass and failure to disperse after pleading guilty to the charges.
In addition to the 10-day sentence, which he has since served, Barnett was ordered to pay a $650 fine….
In November 2022, Barnett organised a group of 20 University of Central Arkansas students to attend a Conway school board meeting and speak out against the new policies.
There were no seats available and the university students were told that they weren’t allowed to stand against the walls instead. They were asked to move to the lobby, a request with which they complied.
The group began chanting “trans lives matter”. The police told them to leave, and all but Barnett, Keylen Botley and Colburn Clark dispersed. They were arrested shortly after.
Botley took a plea deal and paid a fine of $450 with no jail time, while Barnett chose not to take a plea deal as he felt he hadn’t done anything wrong.
“If I were to plead guilty and take a plea deal, then that’s admitting I did something wrong, and I am looking for the mercy of the court,” he said.
During the trial, Barnett claimed the police fabricated their report by saying he intimidated members of the school board. He says this is false.
Barnett chose to defend himself, saying that what he did was “morally correct”.
“I have no remorse for what I did whatsoever.””