Urbana police arrested 22-year-old BrytonMellott on Independence Day on charges of flag desecration and disorderly conduct. Mellott posted pictures on Facebook showing him burning the US flag … and received multiple threats of violence against him and his employer. Mellott was released from custody after police consulted with the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office about the constitutionality of Illinois’s flag desecration law.
Illinois Public Radio's Brian Moline spoke about Mellott’s case with Kurt Lash … who directs the University Of Illinois College Of Law’s Program in Constitutional Theory, History, and Law … starting with some of the history of flag desecration laws in the United States.
BrytonMellott was released from police custody on Monday. Champaign County States Attorney Julia Rietz announced Tuesday that her office will not pursue any charges. In a statement Rietz said that her office will ask local legislators to review the Illinois statute on flag desecration “given the constitutional issues that it presents.”