Complaint over photo forwarded to state AG
A dispute involving two judge candidates over a photo taken in the Butler County Courthouse was referred to the state attorney general's office.
Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger confirmed Tuesday that his office had received a complaint from Nicole Thurner about a photograph taken of her in a courtroom during a court proceeding. Taking a photo in a courtroom constitutes a second-degree misdemeanor under a new state law that took effect at the end of December, with repeat offenses carrying a first-degree misdemeanor charge.
Goldinger said law enforcement had used courthouse security footage to confirm that the driver employed by Jennifer Gilliland Vanasdale had taken the photograph. He did not have the man's name to release.
Goldinger said he forwarded information about the complaint to the attorney general's office. He believed handling it locally in his office could have been perceived as a conflict of interest and wanted to avoid such a scenario.
As of Tuesday evening, he had not heard back from that office on whether it would handle the situation.
“I can't imagine that they wouldn't take the case,” Goldinger said.
This is the first time an incident involving the photography ban has come up in Butler County since its implementation, according to Goldinger.
The photograph in question was circulated on some Facebook pages that comment on local events and politics.
Thurner provided a timeline of the photo and complaint. She said she first heard of it on March 20 and inquired with the sheriff's office on March 21. The sheriff's department showed her security footage of the incident, she said.
Thurner said she believes the photo was taken as retaliation for several objections that had recently been filed questioning Vanasdale's candidacy. The objectors are supporters of Thurner's, she said.
A Pittsburgh judge dismissed the objections Monday and ordered that Vanasdale's place of residence be amended in her candidacy papers in response to the arguments.Thurner identified Vanasdale's driver as Jason Renton. Thurner said Renton and Vanasdale met in an adjacent courtroom before the photo was taken. She further said she doesn't believe either Vanasdale or Renton had business in the courthouse at the time she was in court.“She is having other people take illegal photographs of me,” Thurner said.The photo of Thurner, as it was circulated, seemed to aim to humiliate the attorney for representing a particular client, Justin Castilyn, in family court. Castilyn is a convicted felon who operates a small Facebook page where he posts commentary on area politics and crime and often makes personal attacks on individuals.Asked for comment, Vanasdale's team provided a written statement, plus a screenshot of messages appearing to be from Castilyn offering help getting her elected and asking if she handles child custody cases.The statement released by Vanasdale's campaign manager called the complaint “politically motivated.”The statement said Vanasdale has been the target of hostility, threats and harassment, both online and at her home. The statement said the treatment began when she did not respond to private messages she received from Castilyn seeking her counsel in a custody issue. Additionally, the statement said Castilyn offered to help get Vanasdale elected by way of his Facebook page.“This is nonsense, and it's 100 percent politically motivated, brought by those who are against the change Jennifer will bring to the courthouse,” the statement said. “It's more in a string of bad behavior on the part of her opponents.”
