The man who received a lewd cartoon picture from an Ohio political blogger made a complaint directly to the Kirtland Police chief, asking for an investigation and criminal charges.
“Not only is the message harassing but the disgusting picture is pornographic in nature and not something I want to see on any of my devices,” he said in an email to Kirtland Police Chief Jamey Fisher.
Columbus-based blogger D.J. Byrnes, who publishes The Rooster on Substack, is facing a misdemeanor charge for telecommunications harassment. The Ohio State Highway Patrol arrested Byrnes at the Statehouse June 1 and took him to the Franklin County Jail.
“I believe that the facts presented in court will show that I’m innocent of the misdemeanor charge of telecommunications harassment,” Byrnes said in a written statement after being released from jail.
Kirtland Police Detective Jake Scott said in a sworn affidavit that Byrnes texted a “hyper realistic” picture of the character Shrek with “an erect humanlike penis engaged in the act of masturbation” to the victim.
Police redacted the victim’s name, citing a section of law that allows crime victim information to be withheld if it could endanger the life or physical safety of the victim.
Byrnes’ colleague, Max Littman, said the photo was sent to a state senator. The court documents reference the victim as “J.C.” The Kirtland area is represented by state Sen. Jerry Cirino, who has declined to comment.
Scott said in his investigation he reviewed a lengthy profile of Byrnes published by Columbus Monthly that detailed Byrnes’ history of drug use, association with an armed robbery case in Montana and the Senate Republicans communications chief labeling Byrnes a “security threat.”
Based on this, Scott swore an affidavit that there is probable cause to believe that Byrnes sent the Shrek photo and texts to harass the victim.
Byrnes is a well-known figure around Columbus City Hall, Ohio State University and the Ohio Statehouse, where he stalks the halls for interviews, tips and scoops. He can be both charming and confrontational, which can irk some.
Recently, he posted a story based on one anonymous source who told him that Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy tried to get into the New York Knicks locker room after the Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA playoffs.
The story, and its spread, so bothered Ramaswamy that he posted a lengthy refute on X, calling it 100% fake.
State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@usatodayco.com and @lbischoff on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Shrek photo called ‘pornographic’ in Ohio blogger harassment case
Reporting by Laura A. Bischoff, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Laura A. Bischoff, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
