Ohio man found guilty of harassment after sending 'explicit' images of Shrek to senator
An Ohio political blogger has been found guilty of harassment after he sent an explicit digitally altered image of Shrek to a senator.
D.J. Byrnes was arrested back in June this year and spent 23 hours behind bars before posting bail.
Prior to standing trial this week, the political blogger told the Ohio Signal: "I believe that the facts presented in court will show that I’m innocent of the misdemeanor charge of telecommunications harassment.
“On the advice of my legal counsel, Bill Livingston, I will not be commenting on the specifics of the allegations. The work of shining light on the wretched and decaying underbelly of Ohio politics is too important to be sidetracked by this attempted interference.”
Advert
However, after just 30 minutes of deliberations this week, eight Lake County jurors concluded Byrnes was guilty of telecommunications harassment against state Sen. Jerry Cirino.
Byrnes' legal team have confirmed they intend to appeal the verdict.
Prosecutors say he sent two taunting messages, as well as an image of Shrek holding his genitals.
The blogger declined to comment in court as he faced up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, but Judge Michael Cicconetti ultimately sentenced Byrnes to pay unspecified court costs as well as a $200 fine.
Speaking after the verdict, Senator Cirino said: "This wasn’t a free speech issue; this was a harassment statute that I believed he was in violation of.
"There is a line to be drawn between normalized interaction on issues and policy and votes and et cetera, that allow for agreement and disagreement and lots of debate on a professional basis. There is a line that shouldn’t be crossed."
The prosecution had asked for a no-contact order, though the judge ultimately issued Byrnes with a warning.
Cirino added to press after the verdict: "There are opportunities around the state house for continued harassment to occur. Obviously, he’s free to write on his blog whatever he wants. I just don’t want to be accosted in the Statehouse in the future."
Initially reporting the incident to the police, Cirino said he was 'officially filing a complaint and am asking that the Kirtland Police Department take appropriate actions', adding he did not want to see the 'pornographic' image.
"I would like this harassment to stop immediately and I would like charges filed against the individual," the claim added.
Callum Jones