A jury convicted an Ohio political blogger of telecommunications harassment after he transmitted an explicit Shrek picture to a Republican state senator. On Friday, a judge ordered DJ Byrnes, who runs the political commentary site The Rooster, to pay a $200 fine, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
Byrnes was fined $200 for the lewd Shrek message.
In May, after Senator Jerry Cirino withdrew from the state Senate presidential race, Byrnes texted him a nude Shrek image accompanied by the note: “Good to see you finally made your humiliation public, Young Mussolini! THE PATRIOTS CAUCUS sends its regards!!!!!!!!!!” the Dispatch said.
Cirino filed a police complaint, calling the messages pornographic and harassing. Four state troopers arrested Byrnes at the Ohio Statehouse in June; he spent a night in jail despite posting bail, according to the Dispatch.
Before trial, Cirino said he looked forward to the jury seeing the image. Byrnes pleaded not guilty, arguing the text was protected free speech.
After the verdict, Cirino told News 5 Cleveland that the case was about a harassment statute, not free speech. He added that while Byrnes may write whatever he likes on his blog, he does not want to be confronted in the Statehouse again.