Disorderly conduct charge dropped against Ridgefield employee from YouTuber incident

RIDGEFIELD — As a second YouTuber came to town to test his First Amendment rights, the charges were dropped against a town employee who allegedly hit another videographer with a folder earlier this month. That makes two YouTuber First Amendment rights advocates who have visited Ridgefield in a span of about two weeks. Accounting employee Patricia Pacheco was placed on administrative leave and charged with disorderly conduct after the Dec. 1 incident. But, a week after the incident, she returned to work, Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi said Tuesday. The charge was dismissed last Friday, Dec. 16, according to state Superior Court. It was unclear why the charges were dismissed. That same day, a YouTuber who identified himself on his video as Leroy from Leroy Truth Investigations visited Town Hall. His video had received more than 9,000 views since it was posted Saturday. He said he came to Ridgefield in support of Josh Abrams, the YouTuber who visited the town Dec. 1 and drew the reaction from Pacheco after putting her on camera without her permission. She has been unable to be reached for comment. The video that Abrams posted on his YouTube channel, Accountability For All, received over 140,000 views in two weeks. The man from Leroy Truth Investigations, which has more than one million YouTube subscribers, entered Town Hall with his video camera and went upstairs to the first selectman's office last Friday. There, he encountered the new partition that the town erected as a result of Abram's visit, saw Marconi and spoke up in support of Abrams, his cause and all citizens' First Amendment rights. On the video, Marconi tells Leroy that while cameras are frequently on him, Pacheco, a New Milford resident, is not used to such treatment. "Those are internal offices. We have W2s that go on, payroll information, insurance information ... so a lot of that is protected — people's personal information," Marconi says on the video to Leroy about the documents in the offices. Previously, Marconi had expressed his displeasure with Abrams' behavior, saying it was a "misuse of the First Amendment." Anyone in the public is welcome to visit Town Hall despite the new barrier, Marconi said. Leroy then asks Marconi whether he can go inside, and Marconi holds the door open for him. Leroy follows Marconi into his office and then proceeds to walk past other offices — most of which had closed doors. Leroy then heads downstairs, passing the tax collector's office, and leaves the building. The YouTuber told Hearst Connecticut Media on Wednesday that he plans to return to Ridgefield Town Hall on Thursday. On Tuesday, Abrams, a Boston resident, said the charges against Pacheco should not have been dismissed and referred to himself as a "victim." "I don't think it's ever acceptable to assault someone because you don't like them or what they're doing. I will refer Patricia back to third-grade tactics, when a teacher would have to discipline her. We don't just get to put your hand on someone and act violently," said Abrams, 34, who has been in the YouTube business since 2019. He also said he plans to return to Ridgefield "regularly." Abrams said the barriers were not a wise financial choice and said he will be back "to remind Rudy that he made a terrible decision." "I really have been considering talking to realtors about getting an apartment there, and getting property," Abrams said.

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