Michigan woman under investigation, accused of 'harassing' anti-mask nurses on Twitter

[James48]

Last edited Thu Dec 16, 2021, 12:38 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: MLive

A Michigan sheriff’s department that previously said it would not enforce statewide mask laws, is attempting to enforce a seldom-used law against a woman who has called out anti-mask nurses online.

Kasey Helton of Howell in Livingston County is facing possible criminal charges after writing a series of Twitter messages criticizing nurses who’ve taken stances against the use of masks in the fight against spread of the coronavirus.


The Livingston County Sheriff Department has filed a criminal complaint against me related to the Twitter posts I made this week about the nurses who publicly spread health misinformation,” Helton said in a message posted to her Twitter account Monday evening.

Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy confirmed an investigation into the conduct of a Kasey Helton, a Livingston County resident, began Monday, Dec. 13, and a warrant review request has been submitted to the Livingston County Prosecutor’s Office. Murphy said the investigation began Monday, when “a citizen from the county came forward, as they felt harassed, bullied and intimidated.”


Read more: https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2021/12/michigan-woman-under-investigation-accused-of-harassing-anti-mask-nurses-on-twitter.html

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Note: the Sheriff is a right-wing hack who refused to enforce mask mandates last spring. He is also the former County Republican chair. The person being accused of a felony is the former Democratic candidate who ran for county commissioner in the last election. This is a political prosecution to silence the democrat.

Helton clipped video from the public comments section of a school board meeting where these right-wing anti-vaxx, anti-mask nurses were spewing all kinds of misinformation. Helton simply showed the video clip, and commented on what was factually incorrect. As a result of her citizen journalism, Helton is being investigated for a felony charge.

Read the story- and follow the link to Hekton’s Twitter to read more. Gonna need some real lawyers here to help.

[Orrex]

1. Invariably, "masks optional" means "we'll protect you from anyone who says that masks are helpful"

My current fantasy is that every anti-vax shithead and no-mask asshole contracts a very serious but non-fatal case of covid but doesn't infect anyone else along the way.

[Nululu]

2. Mine has people following them around...

...dressed as plague doctors with ringing signs pointing at them with "UNCLEAN" written on signs while yelling at them to bring out your dead..

[James48]

3. +++!!!!!! Lol !

[IronLionZion]

8. Mine has way fewer GOP voters for future elections

[DeeNice]

15. Make it something that causes them to shit themselves without warning in public places nt

[cynical_idealist]

17. embarassment to pooper wouldn't offset trauma of bystanders

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. This sheriff does not understand the First Amendment

The lady’s com duct is fully protected under First Amendment

[NYC Liberal]

7. They are going to cost the taxpayers a lot of money with this stunt.

[Mary in S. Carolina]

9. Yup

[LetMyPeopleVote]

18. This will be fun to watch

This will be a fun lawsuit to follow

[ShazamIam]

11. He understands, "free speech," is only for Republicans and their billionaire owners.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

13. I thought "com duct"s were protected by the 33rd Amendment. . . . nt

[Lonestarblue]

6. Just one more example of how democratic principles are being undermined every day.

We are losing our democracy bit by bit because of right-wing determination to grab power and silence opposing viewpoints, especially of those they consider political enemies. Red America is looking more and more like Putin’s Russia.

[yardwork]

10. Wow.

[twodogsbarking]

12. Hopefully Twitter will have some things to say about the Sheriff.

Justice by internet.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

14. "rescued"? Kind of hiding a crucial word, is it not?

[James48]

16. Update-

Attorney Says Cyberstalking Investigation Is Politically Motivated
December 16, 2021
By Jon King / [e-mail]


The attorney for a Marion Township woman says the decision by the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office to seek cyberstalking charges against her is a political decision and unlikely to result in prosecution.

On Tuesday, a referral was made by the sheriff’s office to the Livingston County Prosecutor’s Office seeking to charge Kasey Helton under a state cyberstalking statute after she posted videos of anti-mask activists speaking at a local school board meeting. Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy says the decision to seek charges was an attempt to try and “get some clear understanding of the line for criminal charges vs free speech”.

Among the videos from recent meetings of the Brighton Area Schools were public statements made by two women who identified themselves as local nurses, both of whom said they were against mask mandates for students. Helton’s Tweets then included commentary in which she referred to one of the speakers as “a pathetic purveyor of health misinformation who works as a nurse educator at Schoolcraft College,” which she then tagged in the Tweet. Schoolcraft College responded by saying her opinions did not "reflect the College's views."

Helton has since hired Attorney Craig Tank to defend her in the case. Tank tells WHMI that Helton’s Tweets are clearly protected speech as she was simply posting comments made by others in a public forum and the notion that in doing so she was harassing these women doesn’t pass legal muster. He is also doubtful that the prosecutor’s office will end up filing a charge.


More:

https://www.whmi.com/news/article/attorney-says-cyberstalking-investigation-politically-motivated

[SunSeeker]

19. The Sheriff violated Kasey Helton's First Amendment right to free speech.

It was clearly an intimidation tactic by a government entity designed to chill her free expression of opinion. Hilton was posting public video and her own opinion on her own Twitter account. She was not "cyber stalking" anybody.

Glad she's lawyered up. I agree with her lawyer, this is blatant civil rights violation.