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JENA 6 TEEN MYCHAL BELL RELEASED FROM JAIL

Mychael Bell is a free man - for now. The 17-year-old, one of the six black teens known as the Jena 6, was released from jail Thursday hours after a prosecutor confirmed that he will no longer seek to try him as an adult.


Shortly after bail was set at $45,000, the 17-year-old walked out of the LaSalle Parish courthouse and was met by his family, and civil rights activist Al Sharpton.

Prosecutors claim Bell was one of six black teens involved in the beating of a white student. His case sparked national outrage and a massive civil rights demonstration outside the courthouse last week. Protesters saw Bell's initial charge of attempted murder as excessive and racially biased. The charge was eventually reduced to aggravated second-degree battery.

Bell's conviction in adult court was thrown out this month by the state 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, which said he should not have been tried as an adult on that particular charge. But Bell still remained behind bars after District Attorney Reed Walters said he would appeal.

On Thursday, Walters said he still believes there was legal merit to trying Bell as an adult but decided it was in the best interest of the victim, Justin Barker, and his family to let the juvenile court handle the case.

"They are on board with what I decided," Walters said at a news conference.

The teen still faces trial as a juvenile in the December incident, but will no longer face a maximum of 15 years in prison on his aggravated second-degree battery conviction. David Utter, director of the Louisiana Juvenile Justice Project, said conviction on those counts could keep Bell locked up until he turns 21, reports AP.