Enotah Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jeff Langley says he officially dismissed charges against Shannon Hamilton today.
Hamilton was arrested on April 12 while attempting to erect temporary safety berms along the bridge where his daughter died on Gene Nix Road in White County. He was charged with interfering with government property and led away in handcuffs. A video of the arrest went viral with more than 3.7 million views.
Langley says he spoke to Hamilton and received assurances that there would not be a repeat of the incident. White County Sheriff Neal Walden also recommended that charges be dropped in a letter on Friday.
Temporary concrete safety barriers are now up along the bridge where 16-year-old Cecily Hamilton and 18-year-old Taylor Swing died on March 16. Their car ran off Gene Nix Road and into Town Creek. There was a narrow gap between the bridge and a tree. Their vehicle flew through that gap landing upside down in the water below. The new barriers should stop the same thing from happening and White County leaders say permanent guardrails will be installed in the coming weeks.
A scholarship fund, set up by Shannon Hamilton and Josh Poole (Cecily’s father and stepfather), is raising $50,000 for college aid for qualifying students in White County. Details are at #bringit4CEC.org.
