RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Chesterfield County man who was detained in a psychiatric facility after posting anti-government messages on Facebook.
Brandon Raub’s lawsuit blamed county mental health worker Michael Campbell for his August 2012 detention. U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson ruled Friday that Campbell acted reasonably in recommending that the ex-Marine be held for evaluation.
Raub was detained after being questioned about Facebook posts that alluded to violence and spoke of a pending revolution. One said: “This is the start of you dying.” Another said: “Sharpen my axe; I’m here to sever heads.”
Raub claimed the weeklong detention violated the prohibition against unreasonable search and seizure as well as his free-speech rights.
Hudson called Raub’s assertion that officials conspired to suppress dissident speech “far-fetched.”
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