Prosecutors want Christopher Cantwell to back off victims, or go to jail
Maybe Christopher Cantwell just can’t help himself.
Despite being barred from discussing or contacting two Charlottesville activists as a condition of his bond, prosecutors say Cantwell continues to bring them up on social media and his podcast.
Now, prosecutors want bond for Cantwell revoked or modified.
Cantwell, a 37-year-old New Hampshire native known as the “Crying Nazi,” is awaiting trial on two counts of illegal use of tear gas and other gases. He is accused of spraying tear gas during a white nationalist rally at the University of Virginia (UVA) on August 11, 2017, one day before the deadly “Unite the Right” rally.
When released on bond in December, a judge ordered Cantwell to have no contact with Emily Gorcenski or Kristopher Goad, two activists who opposed the “Unite the Right” rally.
In a motion to modify or revoke Cantwell’s bond, prosecutors lay out a series of times that Cantwell was warned about his social media posts regarding the pair as well as discussing them on his “Radical Agenda” podcast.
A judge ruled on April 26 that Cantwell could not name or reference the alleged victims in the UVA incident — Gorcenski and Goad — online or in his radio shows.
“Not withstanding multiple requests from the Commonwealth, the Defendant continued to engage in online communication intended to harass and potentially intimidate victims in this matter,” prosecutors wrote on July 6.
The bond motion is the latest bit of legal trouble for Cantwell. He’s also a defendant in a federal civil suit stemming from the violent rally. Cantwell has also sued Gorcenski and Goad, who, in turn, filed a counter suit against Cantwell in federal court. Those lawsuits are pending.
Cantwell was charged for public swearing and intoxication in Loudon County on March 31. The status of that case was unclear on Wednesday.
Cantwell is scheduled for trial August 13 on the illegal use of gas charges. No hearing has been set on the bond revocation request.
Since “Unite the Right,” Cantwell has had a very public split with the event’s organizer, Jason Kessler. Cantwell said he won’t attend an anniversary rally Kessler is organizing for Washington, D.C., and possibly a second rally in Charlottesville on Aug. 11 and 12.
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