Mentally disabled teen freed; acquitted of terror charge

PELL CITY, Ala. – A mentally disabled teenager who spent nearly a year in jail on a terrorism charge vowed “never to touch another computer again” after an Alabama judge found him not guilty and ordered his release.

Al.com (http://bit.ly/2ehslkw ) reports that 19-year-old Peyton Pruitt was freed Tuesday by St. Clair Circuit Judge Phil Seay after he was found not guilty last month by reason of mental defect. The judge gave custody to Pruitt’s father on the condition that his internet and cellphone access be supervised.

Pruitt was arrested in November 2015. He told an FBI agent that he shared information online about bombs with people he thought were representatives of the Islamic State group and the Taliban.

His family said Pruitt cut-and-pasted the information, and can’t even tie his own shoes.

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