Appeals court dismisses La. assault case

LAKE CHARLES, La., Sept. 14 (UPI) -- A Louisiana appeals court ruled Friday that a black teenager was wrongly tried as an adult and dismissed his conviction in a racially charged battery case.

Mychal Bell, 17, faced a long prison term for beating a white student at Jena High School. Demonstrations were planned for his sentencing next week.

District Attorney Reed Walters plans to appeal the reversal to the state Supreme Court, The Chicago Tribune reported.

The trouble in Jena, a small town in north-central Louisiana, began when nooses were hung from a tree that had traditionally been a gathering place for white students. Eventually, six black students, who have become known as the Jena 6, were charged with attempted murder after an attack on a white student.

Since Bell’s conviction, the case has attracted national attention. Organizers said they had expected 20,000 to 30,000 people to show up for Bell’s sentencing.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Friday that the case “is not over yet.”

“So long as these kids were in the dark without representation, they were all going up the river,” he said.

Defense lawyers plan to ask the trial judge Monday to reduce Bell’s bail, freeing him from jail.