NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Country music artist Morgan Wallen entered a guilty plea on Thursday to two counts of misdemeanor reckless endangerment. The plea stems from an incident where he threw a chair off the rooftop of a six-story bar in Nashville, which nearly struck two police officers on the scene.
During the court appearance, Wallen stood alongside his attorney and was handed a sentence that includes seven days at a DUI education center and two years of supervised probation. When asked by Judge Cynthia Chappell how he pleaded, Wallen responded with a statement of “conditionally guilty.”
The events leading to the plea occurred on April 7, when Wallen reportedly threw a chair from the top of Chief’s bar. The chair came to rest approximately one yard away from the officers, leading them to interview witnesses and examine security camera footage. Observers recounted seeing Wallen lift the chair and toss it off the rooftop while laughing.
Following the incident, Wallen released a statement taking “responsibility” for his actions, admitting he was “not proud” of what he did. Although he did not issue a formal apology, he referenced efforts to “make amends” and maintain communication with law enforcement.
Initially, Wallen faced three felony counts of reckless endangerment, in addition to a count of disorderly conduct. His attorney, Worrick Robinson, noted that Wallen has fully cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation, and he has directly communicated and expressed remorse to all parties involved.
Robinson further explained that upon successful completion of Wallen’s probationary period, there lies the possibility of having the charges dismissed and their records expunged. After the brief hearing that lasted around ten minutes, Wallen did not make any public statements and was quickly escorted from the courthouse by security personnel.
As a prominent figure in today’s country music scene, Wallen was recently recognized as the entertainer of the year at the Country Music Association Awards. However, his career has had bumps along the way; in 2021, he was suspended indefinitely from his label after a video emerged of him using a racial slur. Additionally, he faced legal trouble in 2020 when he was arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct after being removed from Kid Rock’s bar in downtown Nashville.