A wedding day in Indiana took a wild turn when a groom was arrested at the courthouse just moments before the ceremony was set to begin — all because investigators say he failed to disclose he’s a registered sex offender.
Authorities say 66-year-old Bradley D. Armstrong was inside the La Porte County Courthouse on Tuesday, ready to get married, when two officers walked in and stopped everything in its tracks. The sheriff’s office compared the scene to something out of a comedy movie — except this one ended in handcuffs.
According to police, Armstrong is facing a felony charge for allegedly falsifying a marriage license application. Investigators say he did not reveal that he is required to register for life on Indiana’s Sex and Violent Offender Registry.
Officials say Armstrong was convicted in 2002 in a child-molesting case and received a sentence that included prison time and probation. Records show he was released in March 2004, though it’s unclear why he was out in under two years.
It’s also not clear who Armstrong was planning to marry, or whether his fiancé(e) knew about his past.
Armstrong was booked into the La Porte County Jail on $755 bail, police said, and jail records indicate he has already been released. As for the wedding? No word yet on whether it was postponed, canceled, or ended for good right then and there.
