UTC student who questioned street preacher to fight resisting arrest charge at Nov. 10 trial

photo Cole Montalvo, the UTC student who got arrested for confronting a female preacher on campus, gets up to speak to his attorney before appearing in Gary Starnes's general sessions court in this file photo.
photo Preacher Angela Cummings preaches in a free speech zone defined by barricades at UTC in this file photo.

Cole Montalvo will get a trial on Nov. 10 - almost exactly one year after he was arrested for crossing a "free speech" perimeter at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to question controversial street preacher Angela Cummings.

Now 25, Montalvo was a graduate biochemistry student last year when he was grappled into submission on Nov. 13 by campus security officers and police. They cited Montalvo with resisting arrest, inciting to riot, disorderly conduct and obstruction of justice.

Montalvo will only face a charge of resisting arrest at his trial before Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Rebecca Stern. The other three counts were dropped at a January hearing.

A trial had been scheduled today. But both sides agreed to the Nov. 10 bench trial that will be heard by Judge Stern alone, not a jury.

Read more in tomorrow's Times Free Press.

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