James Evans didn’t think anything of posting song lyrics on his Facebook page, even if they were from Exodus’ “Class Dismissed (A Hate Primer),” which is about a school shooting. At 31, Evans is married and has a three-month-old son, and works at a screen printing store. “It’s surreal,” he told Billboard. “I didn’t think anything would come of it.” A resident of Central City, KY, where he lived, saw the lyrics on his wall and alerted school officials. Later that day, officers showed up at Evans’ mother’s house, who pointed them to his house. Officers showed up and asked him if he’d planned on harming anyone. He spoke to them and assumed that everything was resolved. It wasn’t. Officers showed up the next day to talk to his wife, asking her if he had any weapons. The following day, he was arrested at work. “They never even cuffed me, just put me in the back of the car,” he told the magazine. “They knew I wasn’t dangerous.”
Evans thought he’d be released the following day, three days after he’d initially posted the lyrics on his Facebook wall. Instead, he was charged with a Class C felony, which could have gotten him five to ten years in prison. Last Wednesday (3), he was given a deferement for six months and required to undergo a mental evaluation. If he complies with the court, the charges will be dropped from his record. Billboard spoke with several legal experts that conceded that Kentucky was overreaching in arresting Evans, stating that he was protected by the first amendment. And Evans repeats that local authorities have nothing to worry about. “They can watch all day,” he said. “I don’t do anything wrong. I pretty much work and come home. That’s it.”
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