Local Activist Shaun Porter Receives County Warning Letter, Peace Orders Filed Against Him

Washington County, Maryland officials issued a stern warning letter to Shaun Porter, a local activist, former YouTuber, and regular attendee of county commissioner meetings, citing concerns over his conduct during public comment sessions. The letter was sent to Porter and dated March 19, 2025, in which the county warned him about what officials described as disruptive behavior and the use of inflammatory language. The following day, three peace orders were filed against Porter.

Shaun Porter has been seen repeatedly at County Commissioner meetings, mostly engaging in personal attacks against the County Commissioners, but also criticizing some of the actions of the Commissioners, including their decision to no longer live stream the public comment section of the meetings, or the pay increase of Jonathan Horowitz, Director of Business and Economic Development at Washington County Government. As part of his most recent actions prior to the peace order, Porter exposed his bare buttox to the County Commissioners as part of his public comment. Present at the meeting were the County Commissioners, County Attorney Zach Kieffer, County Administrator Michelle Gordon, and County Clerk Dawn Marcus. It is unknown how many residents or other county staff were present in the audience at the time of the incident.

In addition to the letter sent to Porter by Washington County Attorney Zach Kieffer, three peace orders have been filed against Mr. Porter, but available public information was limited as to who filed the orders or why. The letter sent to Porter the day before filing the peace orders alleges that Porter’s participation in public meetings has included shouting, using profanity, and making statements they found concerning “in a threatening tone” which made county staff “not feel safe.” Additionally, officials cite emails sent by Porter to elected representatives, which they describe as containing offensive language and inappropriate content. Public records did not immediately confirm if the letter is related to the peace orders, but the peace orders were filed only several minutes apart.

At this time, it is unclear from public records who exactly filed the peace orders and whether the court will grant or uphold the peace orders against Porter at the upcoming hearing on March 28, 2025. County officials have not provided additional public statements beyond the contents of the letter sent to Porter, and declined to comment when contacted. Porter has also not issued a formal response regarding the peace orders filed against him, and his last public comment on the matter was a social media video posted prior to being served, speculating that he believes he’s about to be silenced through the peace order process, and that he was on the way to accept legal service.

The issues with Porter draw similar contrasts to that of Rebekah Massie, who was trespassed from a Surprise, Arizona council meeting. While Massie did not go to the extremes which Porter has, and did not engage in personal attacks or “moon” the city council, she was trespassed for criticizing the pay increase of the city attorney. In that case, all criminal charges have now been dropped against Massie, and a Federal civil rights lawsuit is pending.

Story by Multiple RFHC contributors based upon information in a letter from Washington County Government, Washington County District Court, Maryland Case Search, and Maryland Thurgood Marshall State Law Library.

Editor’s Note: RFHC does not in any way condone or endorse the speech of Mr. Porter. While we will unequivocally support his right to free speech within the bounds of the law, we wholeheartedly disagree with his personal attacks and manner of exercising his first amendment rights. However, disagreement with or being offended by someone’s message or methods does not make such activity against the law.

Associated documents for this story are available in our Public Information Archive.

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