Blogger charged after Ohio state senator was sent picture of Shrek’s penis

Por Isabel Keane — – World RSS Feed

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Blogger charged after Ohio state senator was sent picture of Shrek’s penis

D.J. Byrnes allegedly referred to Sen. Jerry Cirino as ‘young Mussolini’ and sent him an image of the cartoon Shrek with his penis exposed

Isabel Keane in New York Thursday 08 October 2026 10:30 EDT

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An Ohio political blogger is set to stand trial after allegedly sending a state senator an obscene image of the cartoon ogre Shrek with his penis exposed.

Jerry Cirino, a Republican who represents Ohio’s 18th district, notified police in May about three text messages he said he had received from D.J. Byrnes, who runs The Rooster, a progressive Substack newsletter.

Byrnes, 39, of Columbus, has pleaded not guilty to telecommunications harassment, which is a misdemeanor. He is scheduled to stand trial in municipal court Thursday, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

Byrnes argues that the texts he sent Cirino are constitutionally protected free speech, while Cirino says they were “offensive” and “harassing.”

“I can’t wait for the jury to see the image that he sent me,” Cirino told the Dispatch.

open image in gallery

The texts Byrnes sent include political commentary — and refer to Cirino as “young Mussolini,” a nickname the blogger has often used for the politician, Signal Ohio reported in June.

The messages are also said to have contained a digitally altered image of Shrek with his penis exposed.

An affidavit with Byrnes’ arrest report refers to the image of Shrek as “fully nude with an exposed and erect humanlike penis engaged in an act of masturbation.”

Byrnes reportedly sent the image to Cirino on May 6, and two days later the Republican emailed Kirtland Police Chief Jeremy Fisher saying Brynes has “harassed” him in the past — and that he didn’t want to see the “pornographic” image of Shrek.

“I am officially filing a complaint and am asking that the Kirtland Police Department take appropriate actions since this occurred in Kirtland where I live,” Cirino wrote. “I would like this harassment to stop immediately and I would like charges filed against the individual.”

open image in gallery

Cirino reportedly said of the image “I don’t know who this is but I am certain you are a moron.”

Byrnes was arrested at the statehouse on June 1. He spent 23 hours in jail before posting bail. He was expected to appear in court on Thursday.

Following his stint behind bars, Byrnes put his mugshot on T-shirts with the words “never surrender” and began to sell them.

If found guilty of telecommunications harassment, Byrnes could face up to six months in prison.

In a statement to the Ohio Signal, Byrnes said: “I believe that the facts presented in court will show that I’m innocent of the misdemeanor charge of telecommunications harassment.

“On the advice of my legal counsel, Bill Livingston, I will not be commenting on the specifics of the allegations. The work of shining light on the wretched and decaying underbelly of Ohio politics is too important to be sidetracked by this attempted interference.”

The Independent has contacted Byrnes for comment.

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