New Orleans Judge Denies Arrest Warrant for Radio Host Accused of Tweeting Fake Slur

A New Orleans judge declined last week to issue an arrest warrant for former sports talk show radio host Seth Dunlap, who stands accused of faking Twitter slur aimed at himself, reports local newspaper the Times-Picayune.

As reported previously at EDGE, the Sept. 10 tweet responded to a comment Dunlap had made by hurling the slur at him.

"Which of these 5 'overreactions' isn't actually an overreaction?" Dunlap asked.

Someone at WWL radio, where Dunlap worked as a radio host, evidently used the station's own Twitter feed to respond: "That you're a fag"

WWL Radio claimed that Dunlap then demanded almost $2 million in the wake of the tweet, alleging that the station was a hostile work environment and saying if his demand was not met he would embark on a "scorched earth" campaign against the station.

WWL Radio also said that its investigation identified Dunlap's cell phone as the source from which the offensive tweet was sent. Dunlap denies this, and his attorney maintains that Dunlap had no access to the station's Twitter account. The attorney also says that the station involved law enforcement only after offering Dunlap much less money than the host asked for.

Dunlap took a leave from his hosting duties after the incident; then, a couple of weeks ago, WWL fired Dunlap,

The Times-Picayune reported that judge Robert Blackburn denied a police application for an arrest warrant based on the extortion accusations that have been leveled at Dunlap.

The report noted that:

The extent of the threat that Dunlap is accused of making – he allegedly warned he would go "scorched earth" on the station if it didn't accede to his settlement demands – didn't justify the felony charge, Blackburn said.

However, the police could still reapply and present more evidence; or, it could seek a warrant for different criminal charges, the report noted. For instance, according to a legal analyst for the station, police might shift from "extortion" to "computer fraud" in seeking an arrest warrant.

The former radio host insists that he is innocent, but local news station WLOX reported that security video recorded Dunlap going into his office and shutting the door shortly before the tweet was sent out.

According to his attorney, Dunlap anticipates that the ongoing investigation will prove his innocence. His attorney addressed the issue of his firing, saying that "The action of Entercom wrongfully terminating Mr. Dunlap has compounded his damages," Nola.com reported.

This is not the first time that a public figure has been accused of engineering an anti-LGBTQ attack against themselves. Earlier this year, former "Empire" cast member Jussie Smollett faced charges related to allegations that he paid two men to assault him.

Smollett has stuck to his story that two men attacked him, placed a noose around his neck, poured an unknown substance on him, and told him he was in "MAGA country." But police in Chicago – where the alleged assault supposedly took place – say that Smollett fabricated the incident, seeking attention and a boost to his career.

Charges against Smollett were initially dropped, but a special prosecutor has now been appointed to pursue the case.

Smollett was cut from the final episodes of the show's fifth season and written out of the series entirely when "Empire" returned for its sixth and final season.

Media reports say that Dunlap was having money problems with credit card debt and personal loans.

Dunlap proactively and voluntarily submitted to, and passed, a lie detector test that his attorney claims acts to clear him.