Aidan Kearney, the controversial blogger known as “Turtleboy,” had his bail revoked on Tuesday after appearing in Dedham District Court for assault and battery and witness intimidation charges.
These charges stem from allegations from a woman who says she has been dating Kearney for about three months.
This comes as Kearney was already facing a slew of other charges for his alleged conduct surrounding the Karen Read murder case.
The woman at the center of the new case, who claims to be Kearney's ex-girlfriend, says she was given a subpoena related to the investigation and they agreed he would go to her apartment to talk about it. During that three to four hour period, she claims he threatened to release personal information and explicit photos of her and ultimately pushed her into a couch. His lawyer is denying her claims.
Kearney's bail was revoked and he could now be held for up to 90 days. He was also ordered not to contact the woman. A pretrial hearing is expected in January.
Kearney, a Holden resident, has been an outspoken critic of the investigation into Read, who's been charged with second-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, in Canton last January. As he's claimed that Read was framed — which prosecutors deny — he's painted a picture of a vast coverup involving several people who were at the house outside of which O'Keefe was found dead and written more than 150 articles on the subject.
Prosecutors and a grand jury allege that Kearney worked with a police dispatcher to intimidate three people, including a Massachusetts State Police investigator working on the case. The latest indictment includes 16 charges, including eight counts of witness intimidation, three counts of conspiracy to intimidate witnesses and five counts of picketing a witness.
The dispatcher is also facing a conspiracy charge.
Kearney is also accused of witness intimidation and picketing a witness. Kearney vehemently denies the allegations against him, and his attorney has said his actions are protected by the First Amendment.
The Read case has inspired a series of theories on social media. The attention on the case prompted Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey to take the unusual step of releasing a video statement in which he condemned “absolutely baseless” harassment and vilification of witnesses in the matter. “Innuendo is not evidence,” he said.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
