"Turtleboy News" blogger charged with witness intimidation in Karen Read case
STOUGHTON – "Turtleboy News" blogger Aidan Kearney appeared in court on Wednesday, charged with witness intimidation in the Karen Read case.
Special prosecutor Ken Mello said Massachusetts State Police arrested Kearney and brought him to the Holden barracks. He was held there until he was arraigned in Stoughton District Court. Kearney is facing nine complaints of witness intimidation.
Prosecutors asked for Kearney to be held on $1,000 cash bail with a GPS monitor. The judge instead ordered Kearney released on personal recognizance with several conditions.
Kearney must stay away from all witnesses listed by prosecutors during the hearing. The judge said Kearney cannot have direct or indirect contact with the witnesses, including by mail, email, text message, telephone, or social media.
"That is broad, and that is broad from my view on purpose," the judge said, adding that if Kearney violates the order he could be subject to up to 90 days in jail without bail.
Kearney's defense attorney argued that Kearney is exercising his First Amendment right to cover the Read trial for his blog.
Kearney is known in the area as a blogger for local news events.
Kearney has been writing about the Read case for months and recording himself confronting witnesses.
Read is charged with second-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police officer John O'Keefe. She has pleaded not guilty and outside the courthouse in May, she told reporters "We know who did it. We know. And we know who spearheaded this coverup. You all know."
Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey released a statement in August condemning the "absolutely baseless" harassment of witnesses in the Read case. He added "Conspiracy theories are not evidence."
Morrissey said he appointed Mello, an attorney from Fall River, as an independent counsel under the special prosecutor statute.
Prosecutors read several examples of alleged witness intimidation, many that appeared on Kearney's blog or social media channels.
In one case, Mello alleged that Kearney shared the phone number of a Massachusetts State Police trooper who investigated the Read case. Within hours, prosecutors said the trooper began receiving dozens of harassing text messages and voicemails and eventually had to change his phone number.
Kearney is accused of working with am Avon police department dispatcher to illegally access motor vehicle data. Avon police announced Wednesday afternoon the dispatcher has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
An attorney for Kearney said he "is a newsperson who is exercising First Amendment Rights to cover a story" and "vehemently denies that he is intimidating and harassing anybody."
Outside the courthouse, Kearney denied the allegations and said he will not be silenced.
"They will never shut me up, they will never, ever, ever stop me from reporting the truth about what happened to John O'Keefe," Kearney said. "Reporting the news is not harassment. Asking questions is not harassment."
Kearney is next due in court on December 5 for a pre-trial hearing.
A trial date in the Read case has been set for March 12, 2024.
