Rapper jailed: Not news; Rapper jailed for threatening police in lyrics: news

[TheSportsPredictor]

LAKELAND | Authorities say a Lakeland man who used music to vent his frustrations with law enforcement will spend two years in prison for writing a threatening rap song.

Antavio Johnson Antavio Johnson, 20, was charged with two counts of corruption by threat of a public servant after a Polk County gang detective found the song on a MySpace page belonging to Hood Certified Entertainment in February.

http://www.theledger.com/article/20090730/NEWS/907305103/1410?Title=Lakeland-Man-Goes-To-Prison-For-a-Song#

Seems like they nailed him based on the fact that he named specific officers as ones he would like to kill in his rap. Florida Criminal Code allows for prosecution if you threaten a public servant, which the police officers are.

I think they are stretching this law a bit thin here. This moves toward thought-police action. No one even knew the guy had made the rap until some record label guy posted it on a MySpace page without even listening to the lyrics. The song is also a few years old according to Johnson's older brother. If that's true it wasn't intended as a warning or as something to be acted upon: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/southwest/orl-rapper-threatens-cops-080109,0,3166701.story

Ice T sits back in his recliner and shakes his head.

 

[PeteyPirate]

If E-Z were alive, this would kill him.

 

[Football_Bat]

His name is Antavio Johnson Antavio Johnson?

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

His name is Antavio Johnson Antavio Johnson?

Cut + paste mistake.

 

[tapintoamerica]

This law has been waiting for this sort of situation. The cops have now created a plaintiff with standing to challenge the viability of the law.

 

[Double J]

Detective Fin (Cop Killer) Tutuola was unavailable for comment.