A wedding day is meant to be a moment of celebration, but one ceremony in Indiana took an unexpected turn on Tuesday.
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Bradley D. Armstrong, 66, of La Porte, Indiana, was taken into custody just moments before his wedding was set to begin.
Authorities have charged Armstrong with falsifying his marriage license application, a Level 6 felony under Indiana law.
Wedding Arrest Shocks Guests Moments Before Ceremony
The La Porte County Sheriff's Office took an unusually lighthearted tone when announcing the arrest. They referenced the 2005 comedy Wedding Crashers in a
social media post."Life is a party. Crash it!," the office wrote, describing the situation as "something straight out of the Wedding Crashers film".
According to officials, Sergeant Swanson and Deputy Ryan arrived at the La Porte County Courthouse, where the wedding was scheduled to take place. They arrested Armstrong shortly before the ceremony on March 17.
"ARMSTRONG failed to disclose himself as a convicted lifetime sex / violent offender. Thus resulting in an arrest warrant being issued yesterday for False Information in Marriage License Application - Level 6 Felony, following a criminal investigation," the statement read.
"The #LCSO in-house crashers swooped into the courthouse just prior to the big event. And whisked ARMSTRONG away to the #LCJ."
Past Conviction Leads to Felony Charge
According to police, cited by PEOPLE, Armstrong allegedly failed to disclose his status as a "sexual violent predator" on his marriage license application.
That designation stems from a 2002 conviction for child molesting.
Armstrong was sentenced to a suspended seven-year prison term, followed by seven years of probation. He was released from custody in March 2004 and placed on the sex and violent offender registry.
Authorities say a criminal investigation into the application led to the issuance of an arrest warrant after the alleged falsification came to light.
As reported by Busted Newspaper, Armstrong is currently being held on a $755 cash bail.
The sheriff's office concluded its statement with a reminder about the legal process.
"Arrests and criminal charges are mere accusations. Every person is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law."
