JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Duval County judge has determined there was not probable cause to charge the man accused of bringing a knife to a Jacksonville City Council meeting Tuesday with resisting an officer with violence.

Conor Cauley, 29, was one of three people arrested and escorted out of the council meeting at City Hall after council leadership requested they leave for “disrupting the proceedings,” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office told First Coast News.

Cauley is still charged with carrying a concealed weapon. The judge set his bond at $1,503.

The State Attorney’s Office says judges do not have the authority to drop charges at a first appearance. However, for now, the judge ordered Cauley released because there was not sufficient probable cause. The SAO is still investigating and will ultimately decide what charges to formally file against Cauley.

Teagan Belloit, 25, and Leah Grady, 24, were also arrested.

“The three individuals who were arrested refused to leave and resisted, becoming combative with officers,” JSO said in a statement.

The meeting was paused while Cauley, Belloit, and Grady were being escorted out of the chambers but resumed shortly after.

A video from inside the chamber shows a police officer touching a man on the arm, who then brushes him off. The officer then grabs the man by the neck and appears to pull him to the ground.

JSO said they found a knife on Cauley while he was being arrested. As of 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, jail records show that he is still in custody at the Duval County Jail. 

As for Belloit, she appeared in court for a resisting an officer without violence charge. The judge set her bond at $1,503. As of 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, jail records show Belloit remains in custody at the jail.

Grady posted bond and was released from jail Wednesday, according to JSO. She did not appear in court Wednesday morning.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan released the following statement Wednesday:

“We all have freedom of speech. The time to exercise that right is during the public comment period of City Council meetings. The words we choose matter. Civil discourse should be just that. Civil. If we truly want to solve problems, we have to find a way to speak respectfully to each other.

A small “credit card” knife went undetected in a wallet during the standard security screening process for last night’s City Council meeting. Moving forward, we have directed First Coast Security to train their officers on this style of concealed weapon, and to conduct extra inspections of all personal items going into the Council Chambers.

We are also conducting a full security review for City Hall – including potential equipment upgrades, staffing changes, and vendor options – as we get closer to the current security vendor contract expiring in September 2025.”

Rep. Angie Nixon also released a statement Wednesday:

“This is a time of deep disgust, as residents were met with violence in our own city chambers simply for demanding that their voices be heard. I stand with Conor Cauley, Leah Grady, and Teagan Belloit and call for their immediate release and for all charges to be dropped. We must hold our leadership accountable for this outrageous abuse of power.”

Members of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee gathered outside the Duval County Jail Tuesday night, waiting for Cauley, Belloit and Grady to be released.

The group will hold a protest in front of JSO’s headquarters, the Police Memorial Building, at 5 p.m. Wednesday. They will make a call advocating that all charges be dropped against Cauley, Belloit and Grady.