Free Scott Roby

Those of us who know Scott Roby see him as a friendly and outgoing guy. He always has a kind smile and eyes that invite you to conversation. To the ladies, he's easy on the eyes and the fellas want to have a beer with him. His compassion for all humans is undeniable and justice for all is undoubtedly a dream of his.

Scott has a beautiful family. Jess and Jathan are constantly smiling and love their daddy like any child should. His high school sweetheart and wife of almost 12 years, Brandi, is currently pregnant with their third child, a little girl, due to arrive in this world on August 26th. Scott is a talented musician and plays guitar amazingly for the rock band 21st Century Goliath. Their rising popularity no doubt is in large part due to his role in the band.

Scott Roby and his family need your help and support. He is currently serving a 16-20 month sentence in prison for an assault charge that can hardly be defined as malicious on his part. This is his story, and names of third parties have been changed to protect their identities.

In 2007 at a bar in Salisbury, NC, Scott and some friends were involved in a verbal altercation with one Mr. S and one of his friends, Mr. M. Mr. M became irate and alluded to a weapon in his car which he had intentions of retrieving and using on Scott and his friends. Unarguably, anybody in this situation might feel on edge and in fear of their lives when threatened with a weapon. When he left the building and entered the parking lot, Scott was blindsided by Mr. S who came from Scott's right side to grab his collar. Caught off guard and in obvious fear for his well being, Scott punched Mr. S ONE SINGLE TIME in the face. Unfortunately, Mr. S was knocked unconscious and hit his head when he went down to the ground, and he remained unconscious for several days. During his initial toxocology screening at the hospital, Mr. S was found to have an illegal drug in his system.

Any rational person can see this as a clear case of self defense. Scott was merely enjoying an evening out with friends when his physical well being was threatened by mention of a weapon by Mr. M. He was attacked in a parking lot and struck a man out of panic. Who of us would not defend ourselves in this same situation? The "fight or flight" response by the human body is not one easily controlled. Nor should Scott have been asked to control it when he was under attack. While the injury that Mr. S suffered from the altercation is unfortunate, he is responsible for his own actions. Anybody who chooses to begin an altercation and ambush an unarmed civilian should most certainly be prepared for the resulting consequences.

As Americans, we should all feel protected in matters of self defense. The government is supposed to protect us when we've defended our lives. In this case, it did not, because Scott was convicted of assault inflicting serious bodily injury on Thursday July 5th, 2012 and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge William David Lee. No mitigating factors were heard by the judge. Judge Lee could have given Scott probation or even placed him under house arrest, but instead decided that Scott was a violent offender that needed to be taken off the streets and sentenced him to serve 16-20 months in prison. Judge Lee did not concern himself with the fact that Scott did not use overwhelming or unreasonable force or that Scott has a growing family to support. This is a family that loves him dearly and a family that is struggling to cope with their beloved being locked up like a violent criminal.

Whether you know Scott Roby personally or are just hearing of him for the first time, you can agree that he is no violent criminal. His life was threatened. He was bombarded by a man who wanted to cause him harm. He had no idea how severe that harm might be and recognized that his life might even be in danger. The only natural and acceptable reaction by Scott was to defend himself. With one punch. One single punch was all it took for Scott to know that he was going to be okay. He knew that he was going to live on to care for his wonderful family and to pursue the music career for which he has such passion.

And one judge has decided that this one punch was too much. One punch has put Scott Roby behind bars and serving time with violent criminals while his family mourns his absence from the home every single day.

You can help. The Honorable William David Lee is granted certain powers by his respectable profession. I'm certain we can all empathize with the stress that this man must face in being responsible for the punishments handed to criminals. But, Scott Roby is no criminal. And we, as a people, can stand up and let the powers that be know that we do not view Scott as a criminal. We view Scott as a loving father who deserves to be home with his family. He has endured enough. Anyone who has ever had their life threatened by another human being knows the terror it can induce. And anyone who has had to react with physical violence to ensure their own survival knows the conflicted feelings that this can cause. Please sign this petition to let Judge Lee know that you support Scott Roby's release from prison.

Thank you so much for taking the time to learn of Scott Roby, his family, his hardships and his battle to reclaim his place in his home and community. Peace be with you all and let us not forget how valuable our day to day freedom is.