Blogger Arrested For Snapping Bathroom Pics Of San Francisco Supervisor Wiener
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon Tuesday chided a local blogger who was set to be arraigned on disorderly conduct charges Wednesday after allegedly taking a photo of Supervisor Scott Wiener in a City Hall bathroom in October.
Gascon, speaking to reporters at an unrelated event Tuesday afternoon, said the behavior of blogger and gay rights activist Michael Petrelis was "very, very inappropriate."
Petrelis allegedly snapped the photo on Oct. 26 after encountering Wiener in a second floor bathroom at City Hall and posted it on his blog the next day.
Below the photo, Petrelis wrote that he gave the supervisor "enough time for him to put away his wiener and zipper up."
Petrelis wrote, "The only photo I caught was of him grabbing his toothbrush from the wash basin. He sighed heavily and with exasperation having to not only have to interact with me, but in a restroom and with a camera going off."
Petrelis eventually wrote in a later post that he surrendered to sheriff's deputies on Nov. 29 after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
He was set to make his initial appearance in San Francisco Superior Court on Wednesday morning to face the misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge.
Gascon said that he wants "to make sure we send a message that that type of behavior is not accepted ... it completely trespasses the social boundary of decency and good sense."
He said, "It is OK for robust political engagement, it's OK to disagree ... it is not ok to invade people's privacy in a way that occurred in this particular case."
Petrelis and Wiener have had several political disagreements, including over a nudity ban authored by Wiener that just received its final approval from the Board of Supervisors Tuesday.
Wiener declined to comment on the case but referred reporters to a written statement he provided to the sheriff's department in the days after the incident.
The supervisor said in the statement that Petrelis "has a history of inappropriate and harassing behavior" and "has yelled at me in public before as a result of our political disagreements."
Wiener said as a result of his history with Petrelis and the blogger's attempt to photograph him urinating, "I did not want to remain in the restroom with Petrelis."
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