Bacon's Rebellion

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Criminal Charges Against Conservative School Activist Dismissed

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James A. Bacon
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by James A. Bacon

A General District Court judge has dismissed criminal charges leveled by against Harry Jackson, a conservative parent active in the Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology admissions controversy. A Fairfax magistrate had charged Jackson, who had alleged in tweets and a YouTube video that a political antagonist had engaged in “grooming” of high school students, with slander.

What made the case unique, said RightDefense.org, a criminal justice group that represented Jackson, “is that criminal charges were brought to suppress the concerns of a conservative parent — as opposed to a civil lawsuit — and a George Soros-sponsored prosecutor allowed for the criminal prosecution to take place over the course of seven months.”

“Rather than investigating an adult’s unsettling behavior around minor children,” said lead defense attorney Marina Medvin, “the prosecutor’s office instead investigated my client’s use of the word ‘grooming’ on social media.”

Jackson, who is African-American and a parent of a Thomas Jefferson student, played a lead role in fighting the Fairfax County School Board’s scrapping of admissions test results as the primary criteria for admitting students. School officials claimed that the test favored Asian-Americans over other racial/ethnic groups, especially Hispanics and African-Americans.

Asra Nomani, who has chronicled the battle over TJ admissions policies, described the circumstances that led to the charges. She reported a week ago that the CA’s office had filed to have the case nolle prossed. Medvin filed a motion to dismiss the charges, which the federal judge granted.

“The ‘woke’ ideology that is infecting our schools believes in the necessity of censorship, and that what group one belongs to is more important than who a person is as an individual. It is inherently un-American,” said Jackson, who praised RightDefense for supporting him.

“In my case, I had my First Amendment right of free speech threatened when I raised concern and awareness regarding child safety. At the behest of a ‘woke’ education activist, I was prosecuted for seven months in a blatant attempt to silence me and others like me. RightDefense.org intervened and protected my rights and all of our rights as parents to speak up and protect our children.”

Correction: The original version of this article incorrectly stated that (a) the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s office had filed charges against Jackson, and that a U.S. District Court judge had dismissed them. Both statements were in error, and they have been corrected above. I apologize for the errors. — JAB

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42 responses to “Criminal Charges Against Conservative School Activist Dismissed”

  1. VaNavVet Avatar
    VaNavVet

    Bring on the civil lawsuit. Free speech does not include slander. Imagine how Jackson would have responded if someone had publicly accused him of “grooming”. Actions have consequences so let a jury decide on his actions.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      The “grooming” claim has and is being made by Conservatives including in this blog.

      Conservatives are claiming that by discussing sexuality with young children is wrong and they up the game by claiming that it really amounts to “grooming” which basically is criminal child predation.

      So, individuals, teachers, and schools that do discuss sexuality with younger kids are now accused of this:

      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/43080182c877eda80b568c888a80e46647497b47d3e889e36e44bf87ce5571d0.jpg

      https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/04/05/teachers-groomers-pedophiles-dont-say-gay/

      This guy is part of that movement apparently, he just did his own version of it.

      1. killerhertz Avatar
        killerhertz

        It’s not grooming children for sex perse, but to take power from the child’s family. When you destroy the family you can mold children into anything you want.

        You don’t have to believe me, but you can read any of the Marxist history on the matter.

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          When you accuse a teacher or an entire school of “grooming’, you’ve crossed the line IMHO.

          If you don’t really know or understand what “grooming” is – do a Google.

          Conservatives strongly disagree on discussing sexuality with young kids.

          That’s an honest debate and perhaps should be re-thought but saying that is “grooming” is dishonest and inflammatory with no intention of honest debate.

          1. killerhertz Avatar
            killerhertz

            The etymology of “grooming” has nothing to do with sex. Use a dictionary.

            I guess I’ve crossed the line. Sue me. What I teach my child about sexuality is not up for debate boomer.

  2. Lefty665 Avatar
    Lefty665

    Great for him! Now if the Supreme Court will do the right thing and reinstate standards based admissions to TJ we will be back to the status quo ante.

  3. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    A few corrections:
    1. It was not a U.S. District court judge who dismissed the charges. If it had been a U.S. District court judge, the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney would not have been involved, but, rather, the U.S. Attorney. In reality, it was a Fairfax County district court judge.
    2. You say the charges “were leveled by the Fairfax County CA.” As I remember from your original post on this matter, a citizen filed the charges. under a Virginia statute dealing with slander, with a magistrate. The Fairfax Co. CA did not initiate this case, as you imply.
    3. The defendant claimed that he was “prosecuted” for seven months. He was not “prosecuted”. Rather, he was waiting for this trial to come up on the docket. District courts have heavy workloads.

    You use this post to give a platform to the defendant’s attorney. How about a little balance and give the plaintiff’s side as you did before?

    Finally, was the complaint dismissed with prejudice or without prejudice?

    1. vicnicholls Avatar
      vicnicholls

      After a decade of social media giving your side a platform, this is the balance you asked for.

    2. James A. Bacon Avatar
      James A. Bacon

      Dick, you are absolutely correct in your observations No. 1 and No. 2, and I have made the corrections. Thank you for pointing out the errors, which reflected sloppiness on my part as I posted in haste.

    3. VaNavVet Avatar
      VaNavVet

      Well said, as balance does often seem to be absent in many of the BR blog posts.

  4. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    “Free Speech” does not allow one to accuse someone else of being a child predator.

    One can and should address the ISSUE (just as BR claims) but when a person is specifically and publicly accused of engaging in predation of children – it’s gonna have consequences and it should.

    What if someone accused, Jim Bacon of sexual predation of children right here in BR? Is that “free speech”?

    chickens are going to come home to roost – and should.

    Conservatives now seem to characterize “free speech” in bizarre ways – we’ve gone from “have you stopped beating your wife” to ” Yeah, he COULD BE beating his wife – right now”.

    pretty bad.

    1. walter smith Avatar
      walter smith

      Larry – in my opinion, you are an idiot. See, that is a totally protected statement. I did not assert it as a fact. Now, if I said you were an idiot, we could then get into did I libel or slander you. Defenses could be it was true or it was clearly opinion or hyperbole, but if it was determined that I had slandered you, then you would get into damages, which would be very hard to prove, and then you’d have to collect, which is also very hard to do. So “free speech” does not give you license to slander. And if you do, there is legal recourse, which Lefties LOVE to use to intimidate people and to silence people they disagree with.
      You can call me a hate-filled racist, and I don’t care. I know it isn’t true and all who know me know it isn’t true. The old sticks and stones thing that existed in a more sane America.
      And we don’t know more details about Jorge T. Maybe the concerned group knows things we don’t. But the point is that using the legal process to torment people is evil – criminal and civil.
      Even a sane Lefty like DHS dismisses lawsuits as nothing. They are not. They are expensive and soul-sucking. Living in uncertainty. Waiting. Not understanding the slow moving inefficient process. The process is the punishment and it is wrong. Also, the apparent friendliness between Jorge T and the CA in Court is highly inappropriate and diminishes justice, because it was and is unjust. And I would say that this was entirely a political prosecution – not properly founded and for political purposes because Mr. Jackson destroys the narrative of racial discrimination – how dare a black man refuse the “help” of loving white racists who want to discriminate against Asians and lower expectations for blacks!
      Some commenters here would like to disbar all Trump lawyers for the evil of representing Trump, and to yank licenses for doctors who prescribed ivermectin and saved lives, so please be consistent and seek to disbar this CA (where it might even be legit for the misuse of process part…)

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        No, it’s not criminal but it is a personal attack.

        do you agree?

        do you want to engage more in personal attacks back and forth?

        you realize that JAB says that he does not allow them on his blog – but he actually does and actually engages in them himself and encourages others like you to do so which you now are doing.

        If someone accused you – in a public forum of being a child predator – are you okay with that?

        1. walter smith Avatar
          walter smith

          Larry – I did not “attack” you. I used an example. And there is a pretty qualitative difference between calling someone a predator and an idiot. But, even if Mr. Jackson slandered the pro-racist activist, that was not criminal.
          And if someone accused me of being a child predator in a public forum, I would likely suggest that person engage in an act of asexual attempted reproduction… And that would be it because it would be patently untrue and not worth the effort of suing because all who know me would know it to be untrue and I suspect many would also know that person is, your favorite word for all who don’t believe everything the government tells them, a “wackadoodle.”
          Hey, can you explain to me how UVA has 1/3rd more Covid cases in the 97% vaccinated, still going on Spring 2022 semester over the unvaccinated Spring 2021 period? Is it wackadoodle for me to ask? Is it “possible” that the “vaccine” makes the “vaccinated” more prone to Covid? Asking for a friend… Is it possible that the CDC has been corrupted politically? Regulatory capture? Is it wrong to wonder? I thought there were no stupid questions?
          Let me guess…you are against Musk buying Twitter?

          1. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            walter – you need to look up “personal attack” my friend. Start here with what Jim has on BR. Then look up Ad Hominem.

            And the bigger question is, do you want me to return the favor here so we just keep going back and forth making personal attacks to each other?

            is that what you want?

            gotta go do some work but will return…later….

          2. walter smith Avatar
            walter smith

            Please tell me Larry how I am “attacking” you.
            Disagreement is not “attacking.”
            If I think your ideas are stupid, that is not an ad hominem attack. That is not a personal attack. It is my judgment of the quality of your ideas or comments. You have called me “wackadoodle” – that’s your opinion. I’m not hurt. Maybe you need to get a thicker skin and learn how to take a robust marketplace of ideas. Pretty much you are always wrong. That is not a personal attack. That is my opinion based on your comments I have observed. One time you made a funny that I thought was clever. Commenters were running down Jim Ryan and you suggested we should bring back Teresa Sullivan. And you were right, even though maybe you didn’t intend to be. I think she was every bit the Leftists Jim Ryan is, but not as good at implementing the evil plan… the devil you know sort of irony of unintended consequences.

          3. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            re: ” If I think your ideas are stupid, that is not an ad hominem attack. ”

            correct –

            when you call ME an idiot , you are

            and you know this.

            attack the ideas not the person unless you really want the ‘discussion’ to be that way – both ways.

            And to this point, I did not see you as that kind of person.

      2. Eric the half a troll Avatar
        Eric the half a troll

        “You can call me a hate-filled racist…”

        Copy made and filed… thank you…

        1. walter smith Avatar
          walter smith

          I expect nothing less from you Troll. Glad to make it easier for you to cast your usual waste of time lies.

    2. James A. Bacon Avatar
      James A. Bacon

      Larry, as usual you are unhinged and disconnected from reality. The point is that Jackson should not have been criminally prosecuted. That is a free speech issue. As I say in a comment elsewhere, Torrico may find satisfaction under civil law. If he was libeled or slandered — and he may have been, although we can’t say until we see all the evidence — then he should pursue that remedy.

      1. VaNavVet Avatar
        VaNavVet

        So why the use of the term “unhinged”? What did it bring to the discussion?

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          nothing other than Jim seems to like to engage in that kind of rhetoric claiming that the recipient “deserved” it.

      2. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        No Jim, again you make personal attacks in your own blog. I am not a lawyer and neither are you so I won’t opine on whether or not it was criminal or civil and I won’t personally attack you by calling you “unhinged”.

        Calling me personally “unhinged” for expressing that view is ignorant and reflects on you.

        Boggles the mind that “free speech” allows one to falsely accuse others of criminal behavior but it’s only a “civil” violation.

        1. walter smith Avatar
          walter smith

          Larry – so…basically all Lefty discourse calling all Republicans Racist, Nazi, etc…is slander? How about calling people “anti-vaxxers” or “conspiracy theorists” or “insurrectionists”? Are all descriptors off limits cuz it hurts your feelz?
          It would appear that JAB is responding to your comments as unhinged and disconnected from reality. That does not seem like an unfair comment to me. Mr. Jackson does not represent a “danger” of free speech. If someone is slandered, there is legal recourse. Just telling you now, likely not worth it… But the flip side of the coin is abuse of legal process. Was Mr. Jackson targeted? The criminal charge, by itself, should generate a Bar complaint. Did the two conspire (Jorge and CA) to silence Mr. Jackson’s opposition? That does not seem an unfair inference. And the bit about Jorge claiming to be a parent to get contact info is…what? I don’t know the man. I don’t know all the facts. Maybe there is a lot more to the story. And getting that out, presenting all sides, giving the people the information in the form of facts, as opposed to narrative is the point of free speech…

          1. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            it’s not at all ‘unhinged nor disconnected from reality to point out that someone accusing someone else of being a child predator is NOT “free speech”.

            Jim encourages this kind of dialogue when, like you here , starts off with name-calling and pejoratives… then engages in ad hominems himself .

            disagree on the issues, on the merits – and keep personal attacks out of it.

          2. walter smith Avatar
            walter smith

            Larry – it IS free speech. And there are consequences to saying something that shouldn’t be said. But you, or Twitter or Fakebook or Instagram, etc, shouldn’t be the arbiters of what can and cannot be said.
            What if he is a predator? Is it OK to say it? Disparaging comments shouldn’t be loosely tossed around, but they are also permitted. And it is rich to hear your concern, because people on the Left NEVER make disparaging comments or toss accusations or anything heated…always the voice of reason!

          3. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            What if he is NOT a predator. It’s free speech to claim he is on FB or Twitter? You really think that?
            If someone went on FB and started posting “evidence” that you are a child predator, that’s okay?

          4. walter smith Avatar
            walter smith

            And he has a remedy Larry.
            A civil suit. Not a criminal one.

          5. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            So you agree that it’s probably not “free speech” especially if a court says so?

            By the way – do you think a teacher who is teaching a class of 10-20 kids is “grooming” all of them if they teach sexuality?

            Though grooming can take many different forms, it often follows a similar pattern.

            what is Grooming:

            Victim selection: Abusers often observe possible victims and select them based on ease of access to them or their perceived vulnerability.

            Gaining access and isolating the victim: Abusers will attempt to physically or emotionally separate a victim from those protecting them and often seek out positions in which they have contact with minors.

            Trust development and keeping secrets: Abusers attempt to gain trust of a potential victim through gifts, attention, sharing “secrets” and other means to make them feel that they have a caring relationship and to train them to keep the relationship secret.

            Desensitization to touch and discussion of sexual topics: Abusers will often start to touch a victim in ways that appear harmless, such as hugging, wrestling and tickling, and later escalate to increasingly more sexual contact, such as massages or showering together. Abusers may also show the victim pornography or discuss sexual topics with them, to introduce the idea of sexual contact.

            Attempt by abusers to make their behavior seem natural, to avoid raising suspicions. For teens, who may be closer in age to the abuser, it can be particularly hard to recognize tactics used in grooming. Be alert for signs that your teen has a relationship with an adult that includes secrecy, undue influence or control, or pushes personal boundaries.

            https://www.rainn.org/news/grooming-know-warning-signs

            this is what some Conservatives are accusing schools and teachers who teach about sexuality of.

            And they are characterizing it as “free speech”.

          6. walter smith Avatar
            walter smith

            You mean the school board that hid transgender rapes?
            There certainly seemed to be a sort of tolerance for awful sexual behavior. Was that unfair criticism?
            Was the entire school board accused of that? Or were they accused of laxness in their duties?
            Seriously Larry – get a grip. The father was upset. The father said something that may or may not have been slanderous. Given the horrific things discovered about the Loudoun school board and given the suspicions about the Middle School incident, where is the line? What was Jorge’s point of deception? Is it OK to suspect something nefarious? Jorge can sue if he wants. But in civil court. How about using criminal procedure to punish people you disagree with? Are you good with that?

          7. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            You consider the “hiding” to be “grooming”? Lots of people get upset about a lot of things Walter. This is about more than that dad. It’s about many Conservatives making this claim.

            criminal vs civil. As I said, i plead ignorance about the difference but I think I have heard that some offenses can potentially be either.

            As a lawyer, you can probably explain the difference.

            No, I strongly disagree that this is “free speech’ in any way, shape or form – it’s lying plain and simple.

          8. walter smith Avatar
            walter smith

            Fine. You can believe what you want, and do.
            But it is not up to you to be the referee for others’ speech. If Jackson slandered him, Jorge can sue.
            I’ve seen many people say things pretty mean, and I would suspect untrue, in the comments here. Some may even have crossed the line (probably did). And the offended could sue if he or she thought it worthwhile. But I don’t want you or Jack Dorsey or Mark Zuckerberg or the NYT or the WaPo giving me permission to “speak” and it does seem “funny” how all the censorship goes one way… RUSSIA! was a lie. Hunter’s laptop was true. 37 FISA abuses…all against Trump’s interests… Mostly peaceful protests vs “insurrection’
            If the Lefty ideas are so great why do they have to censor? Can’t they withstand challenge? Or do they have to use bogus criminal actions to protect against “disinformation?”
            Free speech is a good thing, even when it is heated.

          9. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            Walter, what in the name of dog poo does Russia and Hunters laptop have to do with this?

            that’s what sounds unhinged and disconnected from reality!

            You’re a lawyer.

            How about explaining how some offenses can be criminal or civil – even both?

            I’m sure more than a few who read here would find it informative – more informative than what we get in the original blog post.

          10. walter smith Avatar
            walter smith

            Free speech and censorship, Larry.
            That’s what it has to do with it.
            Generally, civil and criminal don’t cross. Because they are very separate things.
            Criminal is something punished by the State. It has been officially declared to be a wrong that is the prerogative of the government to protect the citizens.
            Civil cases ordinarily do not involve the government (unless as a party). A civil case can be as simple as a contract claim, or a claim arising out of wrongdoing – a tort – like a car wreck, or slander.
            This controversy had nothing to do with a criminal action. It was an abuse of process to even file it. This is why CAs (DAs elsewhere) should be good and moral people who would not abuse the law for political ends. In fact, all elected officials should be good and moral people. But I would say our politicians reflect our own failings and are in great need of improvement, as are we all…

          11. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/be5060c29d5ea5b2c3fee05e9450a5c3d7dafccde374aa32c651d522be369b58.jpg

            true?

          12. walter smith Avatar
            walter smith

            This is the applicable statute Larry…
            § 18.2-417. Slander and libel.
            Any person who shall falsely utter and speak, or falsely write and publish, of and concerning any person of chaste character, any words derogatory of such person’s character for virtue and chastity, or imputing to such person acts not virtuous and chaste, or who shall falsely utter and speak, or falsely write and publish, of and concerning another person, any words which from their usual construction and common acceptation are construed as insults and tend to violence and breach of the peace or who shall use grossly insulting language to any person of good character or reputation is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.

            The defendant shall be entitled to prove upon trial in mitigation of the punishment, the provocation which induced the libelous or slanderous words, or any other fact or circumstance tending to disprove malice, or lessen the criminality of the offense.

            Code 1950, § 18.1-256; 1960, c. 358; 1973, c. 526; 1975, cc. 14, 15; 2020, c. 900.

            It was an abuse of process to silence an inconvenient black man who didn’t fit the narrative.
            But if you wanna go there, then some of the remarks by Nancy have been a crime.
            And all rap songs referring to B*tches and “H0S” might be criminal. Maybe just about all texts by students are crimes. The law does seem rather archaic. When was it last prosecuted? Smell maybe a little “funny” to you?

          13. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            If a large media outlet like the Richmond Times Dispatch published a picture of you labeled “suspected Child Molester” or Tucker Carlson went on air with a photo of a Nova teacher and that lale…. – would that be strictly a civil violation and “archaic” as a crime?

  5. James A. Bacon Avatar
    James A. Bacon

    There are more details of the alleged libel in the Motion to Dismiss.

    On September 22, 2021, complainant Jorge Antonio Torrico visited the Fairfax County Magistrate’s office and alleged that Harry Jackson “attempted character assassinate me” to a school principal — by use of words that are not described in the sworn complaint — which were allegedly posted on the social media platform Twitter. Jorge Torrico added that Harry Jackson apparently “propagated the libel” when another man, Prandel Singh, asked Mr. Torrico why it is that he targets minors by asking them to go bicycling.

    On March 14, 2022, Jorge Torrico returned to the Fairfax County Magistrate’s Office. This time, Jorge Torrico alleged that he was victimized by a YouTube video in which Harry Jackson apparently stated, “a lot of parents… we saw… that he exhibited grooming behavior… in one of the PTSA meetings… I didn’t report it. Other parents definitely did. I merely tweeted about it as an observation of something that I observed. One reason that I was uncomfortable with working with this individual. [Illegible] we are on the news, his name s Jorge Torrico.”

    In a separate Complaint, Jorge Torrico claimed that these same statements of concern about his “grooming behavior” were posted by Mr. Jackson on Twitter.

    It is interesting that the Motion to Dismiss does not dispute what was said.

    Rather it says that the law cited in the complaint criminalized libel and slander related to chastity, to a female’s virginity. “This code section was never intended to cover conduct other than defamation of chastity. … Harry Jackson was being summoned under an old code section enacted to vigorously protect a female’s chaste reputation.”

    Torrico still may have recourse under civil law.

    The problem here is that a criminal prosecution was not justified.

  6. James A. Bacon Avatar
    James A. Bacon

    There are more details of the alleged libel in the Motion to Dismiss.

    On September 22, 2021, complainant Jorge Antonio Torrico visited the Fairfax County Magistrate’s office and alleged that Harry Jackson “attempted character assassinate me” to a school principal — by use of words that are not described in the sworn complaint — which were allegedly posted on the social media platform Twitter. Jorge Torrico added that Harry Jackson apparently “propagated the libel” when another man, Prandel Singh, asked Mr. Torrico why it is that he targets minors by asking them to go bicycling.

    On March 14, 2022, Jorge Torrico returned to the Fairfax County Magistrate’s Office. This time, Jorge Torrico alleged that he was victimized by a YouTube video in which Harry Jackson apparently stated, “a lot of parents… we saw… that he exhibited grooming behavior… in one of the PTSA meetings… I didn’t report it. Other parents definitely did. I merely tweeted about it as an observation of something that I observed. One reason that I was uncomfortable with working with this individual. [Illegible] we are on the news, his name s Jorge Torrico.”

    In a separate Complaint, Jorge Torrico claimed that these same statements of concern about his “grooming behavior” were posted by Mr. Jackson on Twitter.

    It is interesting that the Motion to Dismiss does not dispute what was said.

    Rather it says that the law cited in the complaint criminalized libel and slander related to chastity, to a female’s virginity. “This code section was never intended to cover conduct other than defamation of chastity. … Harry Jackson was being summoned under an old code section enacted to vigorously protect a female’s chaste reputation.”

    Torrico still may have recourse under civil law.

    The problem here is that a criminal prosecution was not justified.

  7. James A. Bacon Avatar
    James A. Bacon

    There are more details of the alleged libel in the Motion to Dismiss.

    On September 22, 2021, complainant Jorge Antonio Torrico visited the Fairfax County Magistrate’s office and alleged that Harry Jackson “attempted character assassinate me” to a school principal — by use of words that are not described in the sworn complaint — which were allegedly posted on the social media platform Twitter. Jorge Torrico added that Harry Jackson apparently “propagated the libel” when another man, Prandel Singh, asked Mr. Torrico why it is that he targets minors by asking them to go bicycling.

    On March 14, 2022, Jorge Torrico returned to the Fairfax County Magistrate’s Office. This time, Jorge Torrico alleged that he was victimized by a YouTube video in which Harry Jackson apparently stated, “a lot of parents… we saw… that he exhibited grooming behavior… in one of the PTSA meetings… I didn’t report it. Other parents definitely did. I merely tweeted about it as an observation of something that I observed. One reason that I was uncomfortable with working with this individual. [Illegible] we are on the news, his name s Jorge Torrico.”

    In a separate Complaint, Jorge Torrico claimed that these same statements of concern about his “grooming behavior” were posted by Mr. Jackson on Twitter.

    It is interesting that the Motion to Dismiss does not dispute what was said.

    Rather it says that the law cited in the complaint criminalized libel and slander related to chastity, to a female’s virginity. “This code section was never intended to cover conduct other than defamation of chastity. … Harry Jackson was being summoned under an old code section enacted to vigorously protect a female’s chaste reputation.”

    Torrico still may have recourse under civil law.

    The problem here is that a criminal prosecution was not justified.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      re: ” The problem here is that a criminal prosecution was not justified.”

      I plead ignorance on how a particular act – like libel and slander might potentially be “criminal” or not and/or for that matter, even a civil issue.

      But there is no doubt in my mind (and I bet many others) that if someone publicly accuses another person of preying on children that we’re way past “free speech” on ‘technical” grounds.

      These kinds of issues have literally exploded since the advent of social media where anyone or groups on different social media platforms can engage in this kind of behavior.

  8. Eric the half a troll Avatar
    Eric the half a troll

    Maybe he meant this kind of “grooming”… https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9a01044694efe85c667d22fd7485c6312c21a45fea9775260ec4c52da91a3e4e.jpg

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