Man acquitted of assault charges against former Anniston Mayor

Gene Robinson

A Calhoun County judge ruled Thursday  that a 29-year-old man was not guilty of assaulting former Anniston Mayor Gene Robinson in May after an argument over a parking space.  District Court Judge Chris McIntyre found Travis Ronacher not guilty of third-degree assault after a nearly three hour trial on the misdemeanor charge.  Ronacher was arrested May 28 and charged in connection with shoving Robinson on May 8 outside Robinson’s former business on Noble Street.  Ronacher rents a former office building at 1004 Noble St., next to Robinson’s former business, Western Auto. Robinson alleged that Ronacher hit him in the eye, then shoved him, causing him to fall backward and hit his head on the concrete sidewalk. Since the incident, Robinson told the court, through his right eye that was punched, he now sees what he termed “gnats” flying around his head.  Testimony from Derrick White, who works in a building across the street and who saw the incident, said Ronacher never punched Robinson, and that he appeared to fall onto his side, and not backward onto the concrete.