Ashli Ford smacks back at police
Claims detective who said her commentary endangers victims unlawfully breeched confidentiality
PERKINS TWP. — Convicted podcaster Ashli Ford is back on the offensive, this time leveling serious allegations against the Perkins Police Department. In a Facebook post earlier today, Ford claimed that Detective Joe Rotuno approached her to “spin” the narrative surrounding the arrest of Rob Stein, the owner of Adventure Play who was recently charged with child sex crimes. Ford alleges that Rotuno wanted her to use her platform to make Stein’s estranged wife appear innocent to a “mean” public.
The official record tells a very different story.
Detective Rotuno previously reported that it was Ford’s own commentary—often based on false information—that was putting the suspect’s estranged wife and children at risk of physical violence. While Ford claims to be a victim advocate, law enforcement has documented a recurring pattern: Ford offers to provide names of victims but never follows through, leading to thousands of taxpayer dollars wasted on investigations that lead nowhere. Prosecutors argue that Ford isn’t seeking justice; she is seeking “clickbait” to sell podcasts and evidence collections.
A Pattern of Intimidation
The gravity of Ford’s behavior is best understood through her recent legal history. Last year, she was convicted on four felony counts of intimidation after threatening Norwalk city officials, famously stating she would “escort them to their demise.” Her history of using victims as props is well-documented—from sharing photos of a 5-year-old rape victim for clicks to falsely accusing a grieving father of murdering his missing son.
Despite being sentenced to probation, Ford’s online behavior appears unchanged. This has prompted at least three formal complaints to the Erie County Probation Department, including one from about Ford filing a false complaint alleging I am harassing her. The others aren’t just anonymous grievances; they come from a mother grieving a daughter lost in a suspicious accident, and a third individual who feels genuinely endangered by her digital reach. These complainants are asking a single, pointed question: Why is a convicted felon allowed to continue the very behavior that led to her conviction?
Demanding accountability
The mounting pressure has culminated in a formal inquiry sent to Chief Probation Officer Kelli Bias. The inquiry seeks to strip away the “gray area” Ford operates in. It asks hard questions about whether Ford’s social media harassment is being counted as “employment” to satisfy her probation terms, and whether she has completed the court-mandated psychological evaluations.
Most importantly, the community is looking to Bias for a determination on where Ford’s rights end and the public’s safety begins. As the department reviews these complaints—including the one regarding Ford’s false claims of harassment—the fundamental question remains: Is the justice system holding Ashli Ford to the standard of the law, or is she being granted a “special status” that allows her to continue operating as a menace to society while awaiting trial for forgery and fraud?
Here are the questions we asked the probation department:
Stay Tuned
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If her employment from her “job” doesn’t total minimum wage at the required number of house, it should not be viewed or count as employment