Bond Denied for Man Charged With Felony Stalking of Oxford Mayor

By Alyssa Schnugg

News editor

alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

A Lafayette County Circuit Court judge denied bond Wednesday for a man charged with stalking Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill.

Matthew Reardon was arrested on June 28 by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations and charged with aggravated stalking.

During a first appearance hearing last week, he was initially granted a $10,000 bond with an order to have no contact with Tannehill; however, the District Attorney’s Office filed a motion to deny bond and Reardon remained in the Lafayette County Detention Center on no bond pending today’s hearing.

In May 2017, Reardon was charged with stalking a couple who owned a restaurant. He pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to five years of probation. He was ordered to leave Lafayette County for five years.

The Tannehills successfully garnered a restraining order against Reardon in June 2017 where Reardon was ordered to stay at least 500 feet away from them and Rhea Tannehill’s law firm.

The protection order was still in place on June 20 when Reardon walked into City Hall while filming a video with his camera. Officers with the Oxford Police Department were called to the scene where they informed Reardon he was in violation of the restraining order.

Reardon argued it was City Hall, a public building, and he had the right to be there. Police informed him that since it was the mayor’s workplace, he could not enter without calling and making arrangements.

Reardon was later cited for violating the protection order on June 30 by Lafayette County Chancery Court Judge Larry Little, two days before being charged with a new felony stalking charge by MBI. The case was heard at the Calhoun County Courthouse. Sheriff Greg Pollan testified Wednesday that during the hearing, Reardon “snapped” and “gave the middle finger” to the Tannehills and Judge Little while using profanities at them.

For more than five hours, Assistant District Attorney Tiffany Kilpatrick presented several witnesses to prove that Reardon’s actions presented a “clear and present danger” to the Tannehills, especially the mayor.

Lafayette County Sheriff Joey East testified that he believed Reardon to be a threat to the Tannehills and the Lafayette County community at large.

“He’s going to hurt someone, and it will most likely will be the Tannehills,” East said in court.

Reardon’s legal troubles began in 2017 when he was first arrested for disorderly conduct after walking around the Square holding an assault rifle and waving a Confederate flag. When a Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department deputy asked Reardon to leave, he became argumentative. Despite pleading guilty to the charge, Reardon has since been attempting to have the case overturned in court.

Robyn Tannehill testified Wednesday that Reardon became angry with her when she and the Board of Aldermen voted to take down the old state flag with the Confederate symbol. She said he started posting threats on social media. His anger toward her husband, Rhea started with Rhea defending the mother of Reardon’s child in a domestic violence case against Reardon.

On the day Reardon came into City Hall with the camera, Tannehill said she was scared.

“I’m tired of being scared,” she said through tears, her voice heavy with emotion. “I’m scared for myself. I’m scared for my family and I’m scared for this community.”

Circuit Court Judge Kent Smith denied Reardon’s motion to drop the charge and ordered to him to be held without bond. He also ordered Reardon to undergo psychiatric testing and a threat assessment.

“We can revisit the bond after those evaluations are complete,” Smith said.