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Defendant in viral ‘Boat Brawl’ incident pleads guilty, will do time in Perry

A Dallas County man who briefly went viral as one of the instigators of the “Montgomery Boat Brawl” has pled guilty, and will do time in Perry County Jail as part of his plea deal.

Richard Roberts, 48, pled guilty to two misdemeanor assault charges in connection with the fight that broke out in August at Riverfront Park in Montgomery. Roberts and his accomplices were caught on video attacking the co-captain of the Harriott II riverboat when he asked them to move their pontoon boat to allow the riverboat to dock. The attack quickly escalated into a brawl, with video going viral on the Internet for days afterward.

Roberts was given a four month suspended sentence as part of the plea deal. He was sentenced to serve 32 days in jail, which he will serve in Perry County on weekends. The sentence also imposes court costs and 100 hours of community service on Roberts.

Another one of the defendants in the case, Mary Todd, pled guilty to harassment in Montgomery municipal court on the same day. She was given a 15-day suspended sentence and will have to complete an anger management program, as well as pay court costs.

The cases against Allen Todd and Zachery “Chase” Shipman, each charged with one count of third-degree assault, were continued on Friday and postponed until a later date.