YouTuber Attempts Defamation of Army Veteran for Fame, Profit

SAN ANGELO, TX — “The man has ‘F’ the police on the again of his automotive,” defined retired U.S. Military cavalry soldier Ronnie Wegner. The 23-year veteran was accused of verbal assault by native police chaser Jack Miller in a video Miller revealed to his YouTube channel final week. The video depicts Wegner confronting Miller in entrance of Wegner’s property in Grape Creek.

In accordance with Wegner, he noticed Miller casing homes on his block over a interval of a number of days previous to the confrontation. “We’ve had livestock gear and automobiles stolen. We even had a taking pictures up right here,” Wegner stated, describing the final unease he and his Grape Creek neighbors have skilled for weeks main as much as final week’s confrontation on video.

“And this man seems to me like he’s a drug addict,” Wegner stated.

The ordeal recorded by Miller began with Tom Inexperienced Sheriff’s deputies arriving at Wegner’s neighbor’s home on the lookout for a taking pictures suspect.

“What occurred over there’s a pal’s girlfriend shot her boyfriend within the leg and he or she fled to my neighbor’s home,” Wegner stated. “The deputies have been there on the lookout for that man’s (the taking pictures sufferer’s) girlfriend.”

Police motion invitations Miller to return movie whereas, in response to Wegner, he was parked in entrance of Wegner’s property. Miller launched his intrepid YouTube channel following an altercation he had on the Walmart in S. Bryant in October 2020 throughout the peak of the nationwide ‘defund the police’ motion. Miller was accused of public intoxication on the Walmart by a caller to dispatch. When police arrived, Miller refused to determine himself and the San Angelo Police cuffed him. Since then, Miller has continued to harass regulation enforcement by displaying up at site visitors stops and crime scenes to video the police. Miller obtained physique digicam footage from the police throughout the Walmart incident and uploaded it to his YouTube channel. He has since uploaded about 62 extra movies of San Angelo regulation enforcement actions.

Wegner unknowingly drove up in his Gator on Miller’s recording of police motion at Wegner’s neighbor’s home. Sheriff Nick Hanna stated the video has triggered concern along with his workplace as calls complaining in regards to the video heightened. Some believed Wegner was an officer of the Sheriff’s Workplace.

In the video, Wegner requested Miller if Miller wished to get shot? Miller claimed this was verbal assault. The opposite interpretation was that Wegner was surmising that sleuthing round folks’s personal property would possibly scare somebody into defending themselves and their property, particularly contemplating how a lot crime had occurred in that neighborhood over the previous a number of months.

Miller refers to Texas Penal Code 22.01 when Wegner makes his assertion about taking pictures Miller.

“You need me to beat the sh%& out of you?” Wegner requested. “You need [someone] to tug a gun and shoot your a&%?”

“You already know you simply dedicated assault,” Miller responds.

The penal code is restricted that to ensure that verbal assault to occur, the defendant has to “knowingly threaten one other with imminent bodily harm.”

‘Imminent’ is the key phrase right here.

Miller claimed he filed a report with the Sheriff’s Workplace and is awaiting Wegner’s arrest. Within the meantime, he has labeled Wegner the “gangsta grandpa” in a subsequent video.

Miller shouldn’t maintain his breath, nevertheless. Legislation enforcement might ahead the criticism to the county lawyer. An indictment requires a grand jury of Miller’s fellow residents to resolve.

Wegner stated he has witnessed Miller parked in entrance of different residences over the previous week and it heightened his suspicions.

“I’m a bit involved about who drives up and down my street,” he stated. “Within the Military, if I witnessed somebody casing my base, I’d type a fast response drive to go examine that individual out,” he stated. “And so, I drove up in my Gator to see who he was and what he was doing. He baited me. I used to be attempting to have a pleasant dialog and he wouldn’t reciprocate. He acted obnoxious.”