10 March 21st-March 27th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | ‘Jail Was Dope’ Alt-right troll Ethan Schmidt-Crockett spends 5 days in Mesa lockup. BY TJ L’HEUREUX I t’s official: Notorious alt-right troll Ethan Schmidt-Crockett has been to jail, albeit briefly. Schmidt-Crockett was released from jail on March 6 in Mesa after police arrested him and held him for five days. The Mesa Police Department told Phoenix New Times that Schmidt- Crockett was arrested on Saturday for allegedly violating his probation and failing to comply with orders from the municipal court. The probation dates to a May 2021 case in which Schmidt-Crockett harassed employees at a Mesa wig store that caters to people with cancer. In January 2022, Sunny’s Hair and Wigs got a restraining order against Schmidt- Crockett, which he violated the next day. In March 2023, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of interfering with judicial proceedings. A judge sentenced him to three years of probation and a suspended sentence of 60 days in jail. In January, authorities moved to revoke his probation and Schmidt-Crockett skipped a hearing on Feb. 15, according to court documents. Also in January, Scottsdale authorities issued an arrest warrant for him in a separate case. He was arrested on March 2. In a written statement to Phoenix New Times, Schmidt-Crockett said he was arrested at the Arizona State Capitol, where he said he was “patrolling” his “territory for any signs of enemy intrusion” and “holding down the lay lines for the unvaccinated AntiMask hero’s (sic) of Arizona.” On March 6, after five days in jail, Judge Umayok Novell told Schmidt- Crockett during a court hearing that he’s on probation until April 28, 2026. Returning to Sunny’s Hair and violating his probation would lead to him serving the remainder of his 2023 sentence — now 55 days — in jail, the judge said. Schmidt-Crockett said in a video posted to social media after his release that he was “tortured for five days” during his stay in jail. Schmidt-Crockett also told New Times that “jail was dope” and he “met some great contacts.” Schmidt-Crockett has a well-docu- mented history with law enforcement and courts, most of it from engaging in alt-right antics and hateful crusades across the Valley targeting LGBTQ+ and Jewish people. In June 2021, Schmidt-Crockett pleaded guilty to an extreme DUI charge, according to Chandler Municipal Court. A few months later, in November 2021, he was caught allegedly driving with a suspended driver’s license around the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa in Phoenix. He was charged by a Phoenix court with driving without a license, but the charges were dropped 12 days later. In August 2021, Schmidt-Crockett was confronted by police after he harassed customers at FnB in Scottsdale. The farm- to-table restaurant required patrons to provide proof of a coronavirus vaccination at the time. Schmidt-Crockett pleaded guilty to a criminal trespass charge in December 2021 and was sentenced to 11 months of unsupervised probation and 15 hours of community service. He was also ordered to pay fines. At some point in 2021, Schmidt- Crockett recorded a video of himself destroying pride displays at Target. The video resurfaced in May 2023 and made national headlines. He later sought to sell the shoes he used to trample displays for $10,000. “These are historical shoes,” he said last June. “They need to be in a museum.” More recently, Schmidt-Crockett set his sights on targeting synagogues in antise- mitic stunts. In August 2022, Schmidt- Crockett posted a video of himself saying, “We’re gonna be going hunting for the Jews.” He entered a plea deal in Scottsdale on Oct. 26 for trespassing in June at syna- gogue Congregation Beth Tefillah, where he filmed himself harassing staff. The terms of the plea deal were 11 months of unsupervised probation, the successful completion of an anger manage- ment class and payment of more than $600 in fines and court fees, according to court records. If Schmidt-Crockett does not complete probation, he will be ordered to serve 30 days in jail. According to court records, an arrest warrant for Schmidt-Crockett was issued on Jan. 2 after he apparently violated the plea deal. On Jan. 30, he was charged with failing to pay court fees. He’s due in Scottsdale Municipal Court on April 5 for a probation violation hearing. Ethan Schmidt-Crockett appeared in Mesa Municipal Court on March 6 for violating the probation he received in 2023. He appeared in Scottsdale City Court in July on charges in another case (left). (Photos by Katya Schwenk and Elias Weiss) | NEWS | | NEWS |
