Local Activist Shaun Porter’s Harassment Charge from Frederick Asst. City Attorney Adds to Growing Legal Troubles

Shaun Patrick Porter, a local resident and frequent attendee at local government meetings, now faces criminal harassment allegations after Frederick Assistant City Attorney Michael A. Fry alleges Porter sent a barrage of abusive emails despite repeated cease-and-desist warnings. This latest dispute compounds Porter’s ongoing legal entanglements—including a $10 million defamation lawsuit brought by Washington County Commissioner President John Barr and a six-month ban from county meetings following a disruptive public protest.

According to the Statement of Charges filed June 18, 2025, Fry alleges that between June 3 and June 18, Porter “without legal purpose, maliciously engage[d] in a course of conduct” via electronic communications that alarmed and harassed him, even after Fry’s reasonable requests to stop. Fry formally applied for charges under Maryland Criminal Law § 3-805(b)(1), which carries up to three years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine . The statement alleges that Porter sent at least eleven additional emails after two explicit warnings on June 3 and June 16 to cease all contact .

On March 31, 2025, Barr filed a 13-page defamation complaint in Washington County Circuit Court seeking more than $10 million in damages. His suit centers on a parody sign Porter displayed at public events, which insinuated an incestuous relationship between Barr and his late mother—referencing a sexual incident in an outhouse—and allegedly inflicted significant emotional distress after her January 2024 death. While Barr contends the sign is defamatory, Porter’s defense references the Supreme Court’s Hustler Magazine v. Falwell (1988) ruling that public-figure parody is protected speech. Barr is represented by Sarah Spitalnick of Pikesville; Porter has been representing himself. Spitalnick herself has also been the subject of recent controversy, with allegations that she used artificial intelligence to misrepresent case law in another legal case which Porter is involved in.

Porter’s legal challenges extend further: after delivering a profanity-filled speech and mooning at an April 8 Board of County Commissioners meeting, he received a six-month trespass order from Washington County Attorney Zach Kieffer. That ban followed the dismissal of three earlier peace-order petitions against Porter for insufficient evidence. County officials also adopted new rules to prohibit obscene remarks, unauthorized signs, and disruptions at public meetings—measures officials say Porter violated during his April appearance. The Commissioners have since discontinued the citizen comment period of public meetings.

While the First Amendment safeguards petitioning government for redress of grievances, it does not protect malicious, harassing conduct toward public servants. Citizens communicating with officials—whether by email or in person—should heed formal warnings and maintain respectful discourse to avoid potential civil or criminal sanctions. We will provide updates on these cases as they become available.

The original complaint filed by Frederick City Asst. Attorney Michael Fry is below.

Article by multiple contributors, based upon information from the District Court of Maryland for Frederick County and previous coverage.

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