Charges against investigative journalist Millicent “Millennial Millie” Weaver were dropped on Wednesday, Weaver announced on her Twitter.
Weaver, 29, was originally arrested in August on charges of robbery, a second-degree felony, tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, obstructing justice, a fifth-degree felony and domestic violence, according to the indictment filed on July 20 in Portage County Court of Common Pleas, News 5 Cleveland reported.
Right Wing Watch reports that court records show the indictment and warrant against Weaver were produced in July. The alleged victim in the case is Felicia McCarron, Weaver’s mother. Weaver’s boyfriend, Gavin Wince, 46, and brother, Charles Weaver, 26, were also arrested, The Ohio Star previously reported.
https://twitter.com/MarkDice/status/1294352410693967872
Both Weavers and Wince allegedly grabbed McCarron, threw her to the ground and stole her cell phone, according to a police report of the incident, cleveland.com said.
Weaver was arrested around the same time that her documentary “ShadowGate” released in August. The documentary features two people who claim to have been contractors working for private companies which duplicate web traffic, text messages and phone calls collected by the National Security Agency, the intelligence arm of the United States Department of Defense. The documentary alleges the mirrored information is then used to influence elections and blackmail political opponents.
The arrest spurred online speculation that Weaver had been arrested as a way to silence her film.
Portage County Prosecutor Victor Vigluicci told cleveland.com at the time that he did not know who Weaver was prior to the arrest and that the case had “nothing to do with her political beliefs or whatever she chooses to publish.”
Weaver published an update on her Twitter on Thursday, saying that she had been exonerated and the charges had been dropped.
“The charges against me were dropped and the case has been dismissed,” Weaver said, speaking in front of the Portage County courthouse. “…The prosecutor indicted they had no evidence, therefore no case. The real question is: why was this case even filed in the first place? How did they get a secret grand jury indictment with no evidence.”
Weaver also thanked those who had supported a legal defense fund, which had raised more than $138,000.
Here’s the official record from the court’s website – DISMISSED and Criminal Jury Trial CANCELED pic.twitter.com/ZxNuecFLUL
— Millie Weaver 🇺🇸 (@Millie__Weaver) October 21, 2020
“I want to thank everyone that stood by me while I was being persecuted and while I had been kidnapped anre arrested from my home in front of my children. So thank you to everyone who stood by me and supported me,” Weaver said, calling her original arrest a “miscarriage of justice.”
She also went after mainstream media, whom she said would not cover her exoneration, although it had covered her arrest.
I’m keeping tabs on those who made videos about my false arrest on social media to throw me under the bus
Let’s see if they bother to cover my exoneration having all charges dropped at the pre-trial hearing
I’m not holding my breath nor will I bit my tongue when the time comes
— Millie Weaver 🇺🇸 (@Millie__Weaver) October 22, 2020
Wince tweeted the charges against him were also dropped.
If Millie's audience and supporters had not helped I don't know how this would have turned out. 🙏🙏🙏
— Gavin Wince (@GavinWince) October 21, 2020
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Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Ohio Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair.
Photo “Millie Weaver” by Millie Weaver.
[…] — Millie Weaver via The Tennessee Star […]
Trumped up charges.
Gosh, she must be really popular. Never heard of her.