Millicent “Millie” Weaver, a personality who operates under conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Infowars umbrella, was arrested Friday on three felony charges: robbery, tampering with evidence, and obstructing justice. Weaver was also charged with domestic violence, a misdemeanor. Weaver’s fans have already compiled a six-figure cash sum to gift to Weaver upon her release.
Weaver, her romantic partner Gavin Wince, and her younger brother Charles Weaver Jr. were arrested Friday morning and jailed in Ravenna, Ohio. Weaver live streamed a portion of her arrest on Facebook, telling viewers, “Guys, I’m literally about to break huge breaking news right now. I’m being arrested, and I have no idea why.” A documentary film produced by Weaver was set for release around the time of her arrest, but there is no evidence to indicate that the arrest corresponded with her film.
Court records show the indictment against Weaver and the warrant for her arrest were produced on July 20, meaning her arrest was authorized nearly a month prior to her film release. The alleged victim mentioned in the indictment is her mother, Felicia McCarron. An individual on YouTube claiming to be McCarron claimed the charges stemmed from a “family dispute” over a cell phone. Prosecutors recommended Weaver’s bond be set at $20,000, Heavy reports.
Weaver will appear before a judge for an arraignment hearing Monday morning. A staffer from the Portage County Sheriff’s Office told RWW that the hearing would not be viewable to the public online and that those who wished to view the hearing would have to do so in person at the court house.
While Weaver and her cohorts were in jail, Canadian far-right outlet Rebel Media founder Ezra Levant launched a GoFundMe page benefiting Weaver, raising more than $137,000 by the time of publication. According to a message posted on the GoFundMe page, Levant will transfer this lump sum to Weaver when she is released from custody.
A link to the fundraiser was shared online alongside suggestions that Weaver’s arrest was tied to her latest video, which Weaver claimed would expose a network of contractors hired to carry out a coup against President Donald Trump.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Jones discussed Weaver’s arrest on his Friday broadcast, “claiming, without providing any evidence, that she was arrested for stealing government documents.”
Elijah Schaffer of Glenn Beck’s BlazeTV repeated Jones’ claim that Weaver “was arrested for allegedly obtaining leaked government documents.” Robert Barnes, an attorney who once represented Infowars in defamation lawsuits, stated without proof that Weaver’s arrest was part of a pattern of law enforcement “criminalizing journalism that obtains information from whistleblowers.” The claims coincide with longstanding right-wing narratives about a supposed “deep state” working inside the government to undermine the Trump administration.
The Daily Dot reports that when it asked a Portage County Jail administrator about theories that Weaver’s arrest was related to her film about the “deep state,” the “administrator laughed.” Wonkette reports that a Portage County Jail official “said that the crimes they are accused of have nothing to do with ‘government papers’ or with exposing the deep state or with Hillary Clinton’s emails.”
“It is unclear how a charge of domestic violence would even fit into such a scenario,” Wonkette’s Robyn Pennacchia writes.
Levant launched a similar GoFundMe page for Gateway Pundit contributor Cassandra Fairbanks, which solicited about $25,000 on the back of claims that anti-fascists attacked Fairbanks’ home with guns and fireworks. A RWW investigation published in July found little evidence to support Fairbanks’ version of events.
Millie Weaver Indictment by RWW Blog on Scribd
Millie Weaver Arrest Warrant by RWW Blog on Scribd
