Investigators deem incendiary blog post not criminal

Prosecutors have concluded that a recent blog post wishing harm to Barrow County Commission Chairman Danny Yearwood's family did not constitute a criminal threat.

The anonymous poster, who signed on to the Barrow Citizens Watch Blog as "Mad as Hell," was prompted by a contentious debate over public safety funding to write that Yearwood would value public safety services only if he needed to dial 911.

"Mr. Yearwood, I hope and pray that your home catches on fire, or you have a heart attack, or even better, someone breaks into your home and holds your family at gunpoint. Then and only then will you value public safety," the poster wrote.

Crowds of angry residents and public safety workers filled the Barrow County Commission chamber earlier this month to protest a proposal to cut the sheriff's office budget by 10 percent and close a fire station in order to make up for a projected revenue shortfall.

Yearwood filed a report with the sheriff's office after he saw the blog posting. Sheriff Jud Smith asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to look into the threat, but investigators and District Attorney Brad Smith decided the post had no criminal intent.

"There's a fine line there," said Jim Fulli

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Investigators deem incendiary blog post not criminal Prosecutors have concluded that a recent blog post wishing harm to Barrow County Commission Chairman Danny Yearwood's family did not constitute a criminal threat. The anonymous poster, who signed on to the Barrow Citizens Watch Blog as "Mad as Hell," was prompted by a contentious debate over public safety funding to write that Yearwood would value public safety services only if he needed to dial 911. "Mr. Yearwood, I hope and pray that your home catches on fire, or you have a heart attack, or even better, someone breaks into your home and holds your family at gunpoint. Then and only then will you value public safety," the poster wrote. Crowds of angry residents and public safety workers filled the Barrow County Commission chamber earlier this month to protest a proposal to cut the sheriff's office budget by 10 percent and close a fire station in order to make up for a projected revenue shortfall. Yearwood filed a report with the sheriff's office after he saw the blog posting. Sheriff Jud Smith asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to look into the threat, but investigators and District Attorney Brad Smith decided the post had no criminal intent. "There's a fine line there," said Jim Fulli Continue reading the rest of "Investigators deem incendiary blog post not criminal" by Athens Banner-Herald © 2009 http://onlineathens.com - Athens Banner-Herald - All rights reserved. Rate This Article:	contact us