WEEI hater faces criminal charges

[Adam Gaffin]

I just posted this on Universal Hub 
(http://www.universalhub.com/node/22587).

-- Adam

A Cambridge man faces criminal charges for a series of phone calls he 
allegedly made to WEEI last fall.

David Banner, 57, pleaded innocent in Brighton District Court yesterday 
to two counts of criminal harassment, two counts of threats to commit a 
crime, and a single count of making annoying phone calls to employees of 
Entercom Communications in Brighton, according to the Suffolk County 
District Attorney's office. Banner was released on personal recognizance 
and ordered to not call any radio station in Boston.

According to the DA's office, Banner called WEEI at least four times in 
October and November to express his displeaure with station hosts:

    In an Oct. 29 call that began with an expression of displeasure over
    his perception of the station's politics, Banner allegedly stated,
    "And another thing, the next time [Employee #1] laughs in somebody's
    face with his snide snickering laugh, I'm gonna come in there and
    kick his [expletive] teeth in. And then I'm gonna look for you and
    kick your [expletive] teeth, you [expletive] .... And you can tell
    [Employee #2] when he makes fun of people to look in the [expletive]
    [expletive] mirror. [Expletive] you." ...

    In one Nov. 4 call, he allegedly said, "When you talk about
    somebody's look, look in the [expletive] mirror, you donut-eating
    [expletive] [expletive]. You and your [expletive] [expletive]
    daughter. Die, you son of a [expletive]."

    In a second Nov. 4 call made to a different employee minutes later,
    he allegedly said, "Every morning when I listen to the show, I just
    say, jeez, maybe tomorrow I wake up and I hear that [Employee #3]
    and [Employee #4] died. That would be my wish, for you to
    [expletive] die."

"If someone finds a radio show that upsetting, the appropriate response 
is to change the channel," DA Dan Conley said. "Instead, we have here a 
pattern of extremely vulgar and, frankly, bizarre phone calls that rise 
to the level of criminal behavior."

The DA's office says all of the calls were taped; does not specify 
whether any were used on the Whiner Line.

/Innocent, etc./