A tweet to a local TV news anchor in Florida from a man who says it was intended as a joke has landed that man in hot water with the law.
From the Palm Beach Post:
A tweet to a local television news anchor landed a Lake Worth man in the Palm Beach County Jail, records show.Martin Thomas Pierro, 41, was arrested on Friday and is facing a charge of intimidation through a written threat to kill or injure in connection with a Twitter message he sent to WPEC-Channel 12 news anchor John Discepolo in October.According to a probable cause affidavit, Discepolo was corresponding with Pierro on Oct. 23 when he received the threatening message.
The arrest could also be confirmed through the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office booking blotter.
According to the Palm Beach Post, the trouble started when Discepolo posted the following tweet teasing an upcoming news segment.
Pierro, whose Twitter handle is @CosmicTimes, replied with a comment that he said was meant to mock the anchor’s news teases, not to intimidate him. (Here’s another example or two of the anchor’s style of news teases).
Probably not the most advisable choice of words if you’re joking around on Twitter, but Pierro maintains it was a joke. The Palm Beach Post apparently spoke with him, and he again said that his tweet was not intended as a threat.
Pierro said in a phone interview with The Palm Beach Post that his tweet was meant to mock, not menace Discepolo and wasn’t supposed to be taken seriously.“It was just a joke. Really. Now I’m facing criminal charges,” Pierro said.
The CBS12 news station eventually offered a comment, as reported by the Orlando Sentinel.
“As a large media property, we are out in front of the public every day,” said CBS12 General Manager Mike Pumo. “We take any threat against one of our employees or the station very seriously.”
h/t TV Spy
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