Turtleboy arrested

[Smallpotatoes]

A few weeks ago, when I was driving to a football game that I was covering I saw a lawn sign that said “Free Karen Read.”

I had no idea who she was or what she was accused of doing. I was curious and made a mental note to look it up. Before I could do that I saw something on TV about the blogger “Turtleboy” being arrested for intimidating witnesses in Read’s murder case. Turns out she’s accused of running over and killing her boyfriend, a cop. Turtleboy suspected she was innocent and there was some sort of coverup.

I still don’t know what to make of the case. From the sounds of it Turtleboy was threatening or harassing some witnesses.

I’ll admit, I’m no fan of the guy. His fans say he’s doing what journalists are supposed to do, holding those in power accountable. Maybe he does that but I’ve also seen a lot of punching down from him, attacking people on the lower levels of society. I first became aware of him when he wrote a piece about a local high school coach who was fired. I agreed with the sentiment but it seemed to me he had no more than a superficial understanding of the story.

My issues with him are also personal. When I was at my last full-time newspaper job, he attacked a co-worker of mine for her reporting on a certain story. Many of his followers also attacked her.

As far as I’m concerned this couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/10/12/turtleboy-charged-witness-intimidation-karen-read

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Who?

 

[Smallpotatoes]

Who?

https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/10/14/howie-carr-turtleboy-arrest-a-big-career-booster/

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

He’s probably right.

No one heard of cared about this guy five minutes ago.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

But enough about Mitch McConnell's grandson.

The pancakes on my bunny are craving syrup and butter.

 

[Slacker]

Game over, turtleboys.

 

[garrow]

Pictured second from left

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

He’s probably right.

No one heard of cared about this guy five minutes ago.

And still don't.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

So I take it neither Turtleboy nor this story reach the threshold of significance?

 

[JimmyHoward33]

I’ve actually been trying to get a handle on this story and haven’t been able to find much in the way of explanation ….. did he intimidate the witnesses or are those in power going after him for reporting? Because if its the second one that’s horrifying and something the media should care about, big time!

Yet it seems to have been largely ignored by local reputable Boston press (Howie Carr doesnt count and there’s nothing about the merits of the case in that column anyway) so we’re left with Turtleboys bombast.

The guy is loud, he’s annoying and he seems to be a borderline obsessive. He’s one of those confrontational, shock jock ambush interviews.
So I don’t doubt he was hitting up people with info on the case for his blogs. Does that rise to the level of intimidation? What’s the line between a witness in a case and a source in a story…. Are they not the same?

Kind of important question that are going unasked because, well, Turtleboy’s an asshole so who cares about what happens to him

 

[RonClements]

But is he turtley enough for the Turtle Club?

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

So I take it neither Turtleboy nor this story reach the threshold of significance?

Correct.

 

[Vombatus]

What happens to Turtleboy when he gets cold this winter?

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I thought this was going to be a “Where Are They Now?” update on Claude Lemieux.

 

[spikechiquet]

I just assumed this was a follow up on this kid:

 

[Smallpotatoes]

I’ve actually been trying to get a handle on this story and haven’t been able to find much in the way of explanation ….. did he intimidate the witnesses or are those in power going after him for reporting? Because if its the second one that’s horrifying and something the media should care about, big time!

Yet it seems to have been largely ignored by local reputable Boston press (Howie Carr doesnt count and there’s nothing about the merits of the case in that column anyway) so we’re left with Turtleboys bombast.

The guy is loud, he’s annoying and he seems to be a borderline obsessive. He’s one of those confrontational, shock jock ambush interviews.
So I don’t doubt he was hitting up people with info on the case for his blogs. Does that rise to the level of intimidation? What’s the line between a witness in a case and a source in a story…. Are they not the same?

Kind of important question that are going unasked because, well, Turtleboy’s an asshole so who cares about what happens to him

Here’s another report.

https://www.masslive.com/news/2023/...iolent-profane-language-toward-witnesses.html

 

[JimmyHoward33]

Yeah OK if you’re organizing rolling rallies by people’s home you’re not a journalist

 

[wicked]

I’ve actually been trying to get a handle on this story and haven’t been able to find much in the way of explanation ….. did he intimidate the witnesses or are those in power going after him for reporting? Because if its the second one that’s horrifying and something the media should care about, big time!

Yet it seems to have been largely ignored by local reputable Boston press (Howie Carr doesnt count and there’s nothing about the merits of the case in that column anyway) so we’re left with Turtleboys bombast.

The guy is loud, he’s annoying and he seems to be a borderline obsessive. He’s one of those confrontational, shock jock ambush interviews.
So I don’t doubt he was hitting up people with info on the case for his blogs. Does that rise to the level of intimidation? What’s the line between a witness in a case and a source in a story…. Are they not the same?

Kind of important question that are going unasked because, well, Turtleboy’s an asshole so who cares about what happens to him

This case has fascinated me since TB started his "reporting," because I'm in and out of Canton a bit. The following is a way-too-long summary of this case, you'll probably fall asleep after the first paragraph.

• Prosecution's case: Boston cop was dropped off for a party at a friend's house by his girlfriend. Girlfriend then drunkenly ran over him, left the scene without noticing/caring and she's the reason he's dead. She didn't realize what she did until a friend of folks hosting the party called her and told her, after they found the guy outside hours after she said she dropped him off.
• Girlfriend, who is a college professor: Everyone is setting me up — the DA, the guy who owns the house who's connected with the local police department (perhaps former cop), that guy is now a selectman, the state trooper who went to the scene knows the guys in the house, the son or the nephew of the guy who owns the house is a hothead, the family conveniently had their dog disappear and ripped the carpet out of their basement right after this guy's death, the Ring footage from the home across the street — where the assistant fire chief lives — mysteriously is missing. Also the town manager is the former police chief.

There are a lot of loose strands there, but to me something smells. The coincidences, individually, could be explained away. When there's a mountain of them...

"Turtleboy" is a Boston area teacher-turned-blogger whose previous contributions to society are stories about welfare recipients scamming the government and folks rigging the system, as well as such terms as "crotch fruit." Think of Howie Carr without Howie's thin veneer of professionalism. He claims he's getting canceled all the time. He's had a few Twitter accounts shut down, I can't remember why.

(Aside: Why does an adult call themselves ****ing "Turtleboy"? I'd love to know.)

He published an "investigation" into the case early in the spring that was clearly stuff spoonfed to him by defense attorneys. The defendant has the means, so she's opening up the checkbook and paying her attorneys to be attack dogs.

Since then Turtleboy has been harassing folks involved in the case. He traveled more than an hour away to a high school lacrosse match to "interview" a friend of the guy who owns the home where the party happened. This was his "scoop." He was told, politely, to leave. He's gotten so much buzz from his "investigation" that he's regularly posting stuff about the case, even if it's trivial. (Since he's a "victim" of cancel culture, he uses the NPR model to solicit for donations.) He organized a rally outside the Town Hall demanding "justice" for the defendant. He also posted this tweet, which I'm sure did not endear himself to the DA or State Police.



Several weeks ago the DA took the extremely rare step of making a statement and, without mentioning Turtleboy, telling everyone that the narratives Turtleboy was floating were BS and that Turtleboy was harassing witnesses. I get trying to shore up your case, but that is the first time I've heard a DA attack a blogger so directly. It's not a good look, and it adds to the something-smells-here factor.

Turtleboy kept writing and spouting off on Twitter, so a couple weeks ago he was picked up and charged with eight counts of intimidating a witness and some other stuff.

Turns out Turtleboy was being fed info from a police dispatcher about where these folks lived. Dispatcher is now suspended.

Life really is stranger than fiction.

 

[Webster]

So, the girlfriend’s story is that she drops her boyfriend off to continue drinking, she falls asleep on his couch after clearly having too many and then freaks out at like 5 am when he’s not home? In a normal world, she’d text him, figure he’s passed out on a floor or couch and go back to sleep.

 

[Slacker]

So, the girlfriend’s story is that she drops her boyfriend off to continue drinking, she falls asleep on his couch after clearly having too many and then freaks out at like 5 am when he’s not home? In a normal world, she’d text him, figure he’s passed out on a floor or couch and go back to sleep.

Longform magazine story ...
The Karen Read Canton Case: The Killing That Tore a Town Apart