TV News Anchor Has Twitter Jokester Arrested, Finally Drops Charges Before Xmas
This is an interesting story of a TV news anchor perhaps taking a social media jokester too seriously.
After a two month ordeal, charges have finally been dropped against Martin Pierro, 41, a South Florida comic publisher who spooked local CBS anchor John Discepolo with a tweet mocking the newsman’s stereotypically grim-sounding news tease.
The unfortunate situation began in late October, when West Palm Beach-based WPEC anchor Discepolo tweeted:
cbs 12 wants to keep you and your money safe! So what does *moving have to do with it? The new scam we uncovered… next at 5.
— John Discepolo (@JohnDiscepolo) October 23, 2013
Pierro mockingly tweeted in response:
@JohnDiscepolo @CBS12 – Someone is hiding in your house waiting to kill you … find out where … tonight at 11
— Cosmic Times (@CosmicTimes) October 23, 2013
Discepolo didn’t recognize the common joke made at local TV news’ expense, and so he pushed back on Pierro:
@CosmicTimes @CBS12 Not something to joke about… not cool.
— John Discepolo (@JohnDiscepolo) October 23, 2013
Pierro clarified for the anchor that he was just making a joke…
@JohnDiscepolo @CBS12 – Oh come on that's an old school broadcasters joke. I was just poking fun at your "teases" for the nightly news.
— Cosmic Times (@CosmicTimes) October 23, 2013
…but that wasn’t enough to quell Discepolo’s fears. The newsman had Pierro arrested and charged with intimidation through a written threat to kill or injure. He was arrested on Dec. 6 and released the next day on $5,000 bail.
The CBS anchor took a big hit on social media, with users attacking him as “pathetic,” “thin-skinned” and a “wuss,” but eventually charges were dropped last Friday, just in time for Christmas week.
“I received a call from my attorney,” Pierro told WND. “Trust me, when a lawyer calls, your heart tends to sink a bit… [but] she told me that I was going to have a Merry Christmas after all. She informed me that the charges against me had been dropped. I was nothing short of ecstatic.”
Now that charges have been dropped, Discepolo fends off social media users who believe he wasted tax dollars by having a man arrested for what was clearly a joke. He told one user it’s a “mute” [sic] point to battle over the story, and that perhaps his critics don’t know the full story:
@Lant_ana Things are rarely that cut and dry, two sides to every story. Mute point now, charges have been dropped as of Friday.
— John Discepolo (@JohnDiscepolo) December 23, 2013
Pierro, however, feels no ill will towards his accuser, telling WND:
“Did the charges being dropped make up for the anguish and hardship my family has suffered these last few weeks? No. Did the charges being dropped make up for the embarrassment I felt being arrested in front of my home? No. Did the charges being dropped replace the money I have spent dealing with this matter? No. Do I feel any ill will towards Mr. Discepolo or Channel 12? No.”
[h/t FTVLive]
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