According to George “Eddie” Lorton, a meme sent by one of his former campaign volunteers constituted a serious threat.
He told Reno Justice Court Judge Pierre Hascheff Monday that Michael Leonard, a Reno-based blogger who used to send emails for his campaign, made him fear for his and his family’s safety when he sent an image of the Breaking Bad character Walter White with the quote, “I am not in danger. I am the danger.”
The Reno Gazette-Journal reported last week that Monday’s hearing would include surprising testimony from Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve in support of Lorton, who’s been a strident critic of Schieve in past races.
But the termed-out mayor never got to take the stand. Instead, Hascheff limited testimony to just Lorton and Leonard.
“I’m not going to hear from anyone else without personal knowledge of whether the meme is a threat,” he said.
Lorton and Leonard fell out earlier this year over work performed on behalf of the four-time mayoral candidate. Lorton said Leonard was volunteering his time to send campaign emails, but Leonard claimed he’d provided in-kind donations that should have been reported to the state.
He also told the court Lorton asked for favorable coverage in his Substack, Mike’s Reno Report.
The dispute escalated to the point where Lorton’s lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter to Leonard, who then allegedly followed up with the meme and a photo of himself reenacting it.
“The guy has no control whatsoever,” Lorton said.
But Leonard insisted from the stand that he didn’t send the meme as a threat.
“I intended him to stop texting me,” he said.
Lorton is seeking an extended protection order to cover himself, as well as his wife, children and grandchildren.
Near the end of the proceedings, Hascheff told Leonard’s lawyer he found the meme “somewhat concerning,” but didn’t reach a final decision.
He ordered the original temporary protection order renewed until the next hearing in the case, scheduled for May 27.
