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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Class planned on Alzheimer's warning signs ... Car crashes into west Medford liquor store ... BOLI finds evidence of retaliation by Gold Hill city manager ... Class planned on Alzheimer's warning signs ... Car crashes into west Medford liquor store ... BOLI finds evidence of retaliation by Gold Hill city manager ... ASTORIA Activist convicted after citizen's arrest attempt on Astoria mayor, police chief Comment By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted Apr. 7, 2016 at 3:57 PM Updated Apr 7, 2016 at 4:45 PM By The Associated Press Posted Apr. 7, 2016 at 3:57 PM Updated Apr 7, 2016 at 4:45 PM » Social News ASTORIA — An Oregon man who tried to make citizen's arrests on the mayor and police chief in Astoria has been found guilty of interfering with a police officer. Zachary Seidel, 30, tried to arrest Astoria Mayor Arline LaMear and Police Chief Brad Johnston at a City Council meeting last June. He also ignored Johnston's order to leave City Hall, reported The Daily Astorian. A jury on Tuesday found him guilty of interfering with an officer, but jurors acquitted Seidel of disorderly conduct and criminal trespass. Clatsop County Circuit Court Judge Cindee Matyas gave Seidel five days in jail, with credit for time he's already served, and 18 months of probation. Seidel had earlier told the judge he would prefer jail time to probation, saying "I don't accept them monitoring me." The judge also ordered Seidel to have a mental health evaluation and stay away from the mayor and city councilors while on probation. She said Seidel will be allowed to send written correspondence to the council on political or public-policy issues. "I don't want to prevent you from participating in the democratic process," Matyas told Seidel. Seidel strongly objected to the mental health evaluation. He said the doubts about his mental state were "gaslighting," a term for psychologically manipulating someone into thinking they are insane. But Matyas told Seidel that he sometimes appeared disorganized and might benefit from the evaluation. The sentencing followed a trial in which Seidel represented himself with advice from attorney Tatjana Queener. He argued that his constitutional rights to free speech, assembly and to petition the government were violated when he wasn't permitted to speak during a city council meeting. Seidel had missed the portion of the meeting that dealt with the issue he wanted to talk about and tried to speak when the council was about to discuss another issue. After he was cut off, he announced that he was making a citizen's arrest of LaMear, then Johnston, before refusing to leave and being wrestled to the ground by Johnston. Typically, the public is allowed to speak on individual agenda items and on broader topics at the end of meetings. By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted Apr. 7, 2016 at 3:57 PM Updated Apr 7, 2016 at 4:45 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501