果酱视频

That鈥檚 what Oran Ambus used to think. Until it happened to him.

It was January 2024. Ambus was living in O鈥橣allon, Missouri, when the SWAT team came calling.

鈥淭hey kicked the door in and used flash bangs and came in with AR-15s and scared the hell out of me,鈥� Ambus told me last week. 鈥淚 thought I was going to die.鈥�

Ambus鈥� alleged offense? He posted a video that called a woman a liar.

Last year, Ambus was charged with seven felony harassment charges. They stemmed from a series of Facebook and TikTok videos in which he advocated for an old friend convicted of rape more than a decade ago.

Ambus, who has lived most of his life in north 果酱视频, fancies himself as part of the wave of livestreamers who record or comment on news. Starting in 2021, he produced a podcast on various social media outlets called He commented on criminal cases he found interesting, and he livestreamed some crime scenes.

Two years ago, he started talking about the 2014 rape conviction of a man he knew when they were both younger. Ambus started interviewing the man and examining some of the evidence. He believed his friend was wrongfully convicted. He called the victim in the case a liar and posted her photo on social media.

No doubt, it was aggressive and intrusive material. I won鈥檛 name the victim or the man convicted of raping her because I don鈥檛 want to cause the woman more pain.

But the videos, like many posted across the country to advocate for the innocence of people convicted of crimes, were also protected free speech. That鈥檚 what Ambus鈥� attorney, public defender Brendan Kottenstette, argued to the prosecutor and judge.

鈥淭he First Amendment in our country is designed to allow public scrutiny of our government operations,鈥� Kottenstette says.

We spoke last week after he was successful in getting the charges against Ambus dropped. 果酱视频 Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore鈥檚 office signed a 鈥渄eferred prosecution鈥� agreement with Ambus that dropped the charges 鈥� as long as Ambus agreed to stop talking about the woman in online forums and to avoid contacting her or people connected to her.

The agreement acknowledges that 鈥渟ome of the acts that Defendant was charged with in this case included conduct that is protected by the First Amendment.鈥�

鈥淭his agreement is not to be construed as prohibiting speech or conduct which would be protected under the First Amendment,鈥� it adds.

In an emailed statement, Gore鈥檚 office said, 鈥淲e understand that such outcomes can be difficult for victims, and we remain mindful of the emotional toll the legal process can take on those directly impacted. ... In some cases, there are complex considerations related to constitutional rights among the factors that influence such decisions.鈥�

Ambus said the agreement lifted a burden that has weighed him down for months.

鈥淚鈥檓 glad it鈥檚 over,鈥� he says.

But he wonders: Why was the case brought in the first place, and with such a heavy-handed arrest? It鈥檚 a fair question. Whether you agree with Ambus鈥� tactics or find them offensive, such issues are generally handled through civil lawsuits alleging libel or slander.

鈥淭o be in jail for practicing my First Amendment rights?鈥� Ambus says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 understand. How is this possible?鈥�

In fact, Ambus is not alone. A couple of years ago, I wrote about a livestreamer in Howell County, in southeast Missouri. Randle Daily was arrested in September 2022 on a public sidewalk outside the courthouse in West Plains because he was using his phone to take videos. Presiding Circuit Court Judge Steven Privette had issued an order banning such videos. Daily is a livestreamer whose YouTube page is called 鈥淪how Me State News.鈥�

Daily thought the judge鈥檚 order was unconstitutional, so he ignored it.

鈥淗e thinks he鈥檚 King George,鈥� Dailey told me at the time. 鈥淗e thinks he鈥檚 above the law.鈥�

Daily鈥檚 arrest was captured on video by a local journalist, who shared it with me. After the local sheriff made clear he thought the order was unconstitutional, the judge rescinded it.

There are a lot of folks like Ambus and Daily these days, in urban and rural environments, on the left and right sides of the political aisle. Some of them don鈥檛 trust the government. Others don鈥檛 trust folks in my line of work, the so-called mainstream media. They call themselves 鈥渃itizen journalists,鈥� even if they often don鈥檛 follow the rules and ethical practices that traditional journalists adhere to.

鈥淧eople want to feel like they鈥檙e getting news firsthand from somebody who鈥檚 there, right there on the scene,鈥� Ambus told me. 鈥淭he system has a narrative.鈥�

That鈥檚 why he got into livestreaming. He plans to return to it soon, once he figures out how to get back on the social media platforms he was banned from after being charged. He got rid of his old phone and now is struggling to get reconnected.

鈥淚鈥檓 ready for Round 2,鈥� Ambus says. 鈥淚鈥檓 not taking this lying down.鈥�