Hater is back in jail
Judge: You’ve got anger issues, prison will give you structure
An Iowa neo-Nazi down on his luck and unable to control his anger had his bail revoked Tuesday after calling the terms of his release “horses—t.”
Garrett Kelsey continued getting in trouble after his arrest in July 2019 for threatening a New York City Jewish organization. While out on bail he tried to buy laptops despite an order he stay off the internet, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Lake said during a telephone hearing on the hatemonger’s violations of supervised release.
Kelsey wrote a nasty Yelp review about his father’s girlfriend, the prosecutor said. He also posted a menacing comment about Columbus Day, writing “happy Indian slaughter day.”
Kelsey tested positive for marijuana and diluted his urine in an attempt to pass required drug tests, Manhattan Federal Judge Sidney Stein said.
“Well, it’s just weed, you need to f—king get over it,” Kelsey told his pretrial services officer, according to Stein. The judge added that Kelsey called the terms of his bail “horses—t.”
The judge’s patience had run out.
“I wanted him to have an opportunity to follow the rules. Apparently he can’t … If you think the conditions are silly, sorry. I don’t think they’re silly,” Stein said.
“You do have anger problems. You said you need structure and discipline. Jail will give you structure and discipline.”
Kelsey pleaded guilty in
February to calling the Jewish organization on May 23, 2019, enraged about a video the group posted about Nordic neo-Nazis.
“My people have f—king slaughtered your f— king people before and we will do it again. And right now, you are giving us incentive to do that … Filthy f—king Jews,” Kelsey allegedly told the Jewish group, which was not identified in court papers.
The anti-Semite with an affinity for Nordic culture identified himself as Garrett Odinschild, prosecutors said.
Struggling to find a place to live, Kelsey ran afoul of authorities yet again over the weekend after being unable to pay the bill for a Motel 6 room in Cedar Rapids. He’d proposed staying at a campsite, but pretrial services said a tent didn’t meet the standards of “home confinement.”
Frustrated at his inability to keep a roof over his head, Kelsey at one point threatened to “do something” that would land him in jail so he wouldn’t have to pay for housing, Lake said.
Kelsey’s lawyer, Annalisa Miron, emphasized that he’d made some steps in the right direction. Kelsey was nominated as Employee of the Month at a Goodwill warehouse. He’d also not missed a court-ordered weekly telephone call with a rabbi to dispel his vicious prejudice.
Kelsey will be sentenced Oct. 13. He was interrupted by housekeeping at the hotel where he was crashing as he unsuccessfully pleaded for leniency from the judge.
“I need therapy. I need help,” Kelsey said. “My life has literally been in shambles for quite some time.”