‘I don’t speak English,’ Alabama magistrate tells reporter after question about gun charge

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A northern Alabama magistrate accused of pulling a gun on a man in a police parking lot told a reporter, “I don’t speak English,” when asked to comment about the charge.

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Huntsville Magistrate Daniel Todd Cranor, 50, pleaded not guilty to a menacing charge in July, WAFF-TV reported. The reported confrontation happened just after 3 a.m. CDT on May 23 in the parking lot of Huntsville Police Headquarters, according to the television station.

Cranor was arrested on June 16, WAAY-TV reported.

He was supposed to appear in court on Tuesday but the proceedings were delayed until September, AL.com reported.

Waiting outside the courthouse, Cranor spoke on a cellphone to an identified woman, WAAY reported. According to the television station, Cranor told the woman there was a camera in his face and that reporters should be “covering the gangbangers.”

When a WAAY reporter approached Cranor and asked him to comment on the charge against him, the magistrate said, “I don’t speak English.”

According to the reporter, Cranor has spoken to him on multiple occasions -- in English. The magistrate was later overheard on his phone speaking to his attorney in English, according to the television station.

If convicted on the criminal charge, Cranor could serve up to six months in jail and be required to pay a $3,000 fine.

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