Charges dropped against NC political commentator who posted about pro-Palestinian worker
Charges are being dropped against a North Carolina Jewish conservative political commentator who had been accused of cyberstalking a pro-Palestinian supermarket employee.
Jennifer Sloan Rachmuth, 54, of Apex was arrested Sunday on a charge of one count of cyberstalking an employee at a Harris Teeter store in Holly Springs who wore a headdress associated with the Palestinian movement.
Rachmuth had been accused of posting photos of the employee on X, formerly called Twitter, without her consent and calling her a “Hamas sympathizer.”
Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said Monday she is filing a motion to dismiss the charge because the allegations didn’t meet the standards of the state’s cyberstalking statute.
“In this particular situation, clearly in as much as the employee felt harassed and intimidated, I don’t think that is keeping in what we as Wake County citizens hold as ideal,” Freeman said in an interview Monday with The News & Observer. “But again the responsibility of this office is to evaluate conduct and evidence and apply it to the law.
“Where the law doesn’t prohibit certain actions, we can’t move forward.”
Rachmuth thanked Freeman for dropping the “outrageous charge.”
“I was handcuffed and arrested in front of my children and my neighbors for no legal cause,” Rachmuth said on X on Monday. “This is happening too often in America. I greatly appreciate DA Freeman taking swift, corrective action today.”
Arrested after posting photos inside Harris Teeter
The arrest stems from a Halloween post on X from Rachmuth.
“Went to @HarrisTeeter in Holly Springs and saw this Hamas sympathizer,” Rachmuth posted on Thursday. “When I asked her why she was wearing a keffiyeh, the store manager told me to leave!!”
Rachmuth alleged on X the employee also said “free Palestine” when she spoke to her.
A keffiyeh is a headdress traditionally worn in the Middle East. The black-and-white checkered version has come to represent the Palestine liberation movement, according to Brittanica.
Rachmuth’s post included three photos of the employee inside the store..
“When in public spaces where you are lawfully present, you have the right to photograph anything in plain view,” Rachmuth said in a post Monday on X defending her actions.
Though members of the public are allowed inside, stores and restaurants are considered private property. That means business owners have the legal right to ban filming on their premises, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
‘Not everything that is concerning is criminal’
The Holly Springs Police Department took out an arrest warrant against Rachmuth on Saturday. According to the arrest warrant, Rachmuth was accused of taking pictures of the employee to “electronically communicate on social media, for the purpose of terrifying, harassing, or embarrassing her.”
Rachmuth was released from the Wake County jail after posting a $1,000 secured bond.
Rachmuth was also charged with cyberstalking in 2022 before the case was dismissed.
“I will fight this and continue to fight against antisemitism on campus and in the public square,” Rachmuth posted Sunday on X. “@HarrisTeeter and @kroger have been put on notice.”
Freeman said Holly Springs Police Chief Paul Liquorie asked her Monday morning to review the charge. Freeman said the charges don’t meet the elements of cyberstalking.
“Not everything that is concerning is criminal,” Freeman said.
Freeman said she recognizes there are “a lot of very strong emotions on both sides of what is unfolding in the Middle East.”
“It would be my hope that we live in a community here in Wake County where we can exchange ideas and viewpoints without offending people and that there is some space provided for community dialogue,” Freeman added.
News of Sloan Rachmuth’s arrest goes viral
Rachmuth has commented on social media about the Israel-Hamas conflict, education in North Carolina and other political issues. For instance, she posted photos on X of Pro-Palestinian protesters who appeared at a court hearing after being arrested at UNC-Chapel Hill, The News & Observer previously reported.
Rachmuth is also the former campaign manager of Michele Morrow, the Republican nominee for state superintendent of public instruction.
News of the arrest has gone viral on social media.
Rachmuth’s post about her arrest had more than 1,400 reposts and 3,600 likes as of Monday morning. As part of her post, Rachmuth charged that “I believe the North Carolina Democratic Party is involved” in the arrest.
“The NC Democratic Party had nothing to do with the arrest of Sloan,” Tommy Mattocks, a spokesperson for the party said in a statement Monday. “That was 100% all her and due to her own actions. This represents the chaos and a pattern of disturbing behavior and comments coming out of the Michele Morrow campaign..”
Rachmuth’s opponents have cheered her arrest.
“This will not come as a shock to many in #ncpol land,” Justin Parmenter, a Charlotte-Mecklenburg teacher, posted Sunday on X.
Parmenter’s post, which included Rachmuth’s mugshot, had drawn more than 1,500 reposts and 2,900 likes as of Monday morning.
This story was originally published November 4, 2024 at 12:34 PM.
