Man Not Guilty of Disrupting Meeting
A jury has found a 23-year-old Bell Gardens man not guilty on two counts of disrupting a Downey City Council meeting and resisting arrest.
Stanley Wantuch, who represented himself during the trial in Los Cerritos Municipal Court in Bellflower, claimed that his First Amendment rights were violated when he was asked to stop videotaping council meetings in October and November last year.
The jury of six men and six women reached a verdict Friday after two weeks of testimony from 23 witnesses including Mayor Robert G. Cormack, who had ordered Wantuch removed from council chambers and arrested.
Wantuch often spoke out during Downey City Council meetings. He considers himself a city government watchdog and before his arrest had videotaped council meetings without incident.
Wantuch, who lists his occupation as repairman, smiled and breathed a short sigh as the verdict was read.
The mayor could not be reached for comment.
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