Kony 2012 Filmmaker Detained After Public Masturbation
San Diego police say the Invisible Children co-founder was taken for a mental evaluation.
| Posted Friday, March 16, 2012, at 5:02 PM
Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images.
One of the men behind the Kony 2012 video that went viral last week was detained* in California on Thursday night due to alleged public drunkenness and masturbation, a local NBC affiliate in San Diego reports.
Local police say that Jason Russell, the 33-year-old co-founder of Invisible Children, appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol when he was found by officers "in his underwear" allegedly vandalizing cars and masturbating in public, NBC San Diego reports.
"He was no problem for the police department however, during the evaluation we learned that we probably needed to take care of him," a police spokesperson said at a Friday press conference. "So officers detained him and transferred him to a local medical facility for further evaluation and treatment."
Russell is one of the founders of the San Diego-based nonprofit behind Kony 2012, a documentary film about Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army. Invisible Children had been trying for years to focus the world's attention on Kony—who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for enlisting child soldiers, among other crimes against humanity—but, after it struck viral gold, the group came under increased scrutiny for how the film portrayed the situation on the ground and how the nonprofit group spent its money.
Invisible Children released a statement on Friday afternoon after the news of Russell's arrest broke:
"Jason Russell was unfortunately hospitalized yesterday suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, and malnutrition. He is now receiving medical care and is focused on getting better. The past two weeks have taken a severe emotional toll on all of us, Jason especially, and that toll manifested itself in an unfortunate incident yesterday. Jason’s passion and his work have done so much to help so many, and we are devastated to see him dealing with this personal health issue. We will always love and support Jason, and we ask that you give his entire family privacy during this difficult time."
Correction, March 17, 2012: This brief originally stated that Russell was arrested. He was in fact detained and transported to a medical facility. (Return to the corrected sentence.)
