Man who displays ‘F—k Biden’ signs arrested by Henrico Police

A Charles City man who has made it his mission for several years to promote his hatred of President Joe Biden with obscene signs in highly visible spots throughout Metro Richmond, while championing his efforts to thousands of YouTube followers as exercises in free speech, is under arrest in Henrico, charged with identity theft and a violation of a county ordinance.

As a result of the latter charge, Ronald Layne Hedlund, 63, also has been banned from all Henrico parks, according to Henrico Police spokesperson Karina Bolster.

Hedlund and two of his associates, 30-year-old William Joseph Barthel of Delaware and North Carolina and 54-year-old Michael Paul Widdifield of Henrico, were arrested by Henrico Police Sept. 3.

Hedlund is charged with identity theft/using an ID to coerce or harass and also with a violation of Henrico’s Advertisements and Announcements ordinance. Barthel faces the same identity theft charge and a separate obstruction of justice charge, while Widdifield faces an obstruction of justice charge. The identity theft and obstruction of justice charges both are Class 1 misdemeanors, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of as much as $2,500 upon conviction. Violation of the county’s ordinance is punishable by a fine of as much as $100.

Hedlund has become known for parking his vehicle in prominent locations throughout the region (such as an I-95 overpass near Bryan Park) to display large signs and banners that read “F—k Biden.” In recent months, he has added to his assortment of signage with a large inflatable wind dancer that displays the same message and a large banner of a penis with Biden’s face on it, which he displayed prominently at RF&P Park during the recent 13-and-under Babe Ruth Baseball World Series there.

It was his display of the sign there Aug. 17 that led to his arrest on the charge of violating the county’s ordinance, which prohibits signage at parks without prior signed authorization from the Henrico Recreation and Parks director. Hedlund faces a Sept. 22 arraignment in Henrico General District Court on that charge.

The other charge stems from Hedlund allegedly posting private information about a public official online, in violation of Virginia’s state code. Court records indicate that the charge is related to an incident that occurred Aug. 31. Hedlund is scheduled to be arraigned in Henrico General District Court Sept. 11 on that charge. Should Hedlund be caught in a Henrico park, he would be subject to a charge of trespassing, according to Bolster.

Barthel was arraigned Sept. 5 on one charge of using someone’s identity to harass or intimidate (a case related to an incident April 23) and one charge of obstruction of justice (resisting or threatening). He’ll next face adjudicatory hearings on both charges in Henrico General District Court Nov. 28.

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In May, Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas was granted a preliminary protective order against Hedlund and Barthel, an order that several weeks later was extended for two years by a Henrico judge. Evidence submitted in court by an attorney for Vithoulkas, according to RVAMag.com, suggested that a series of actions by Hedlund and Barthel – including instances during which they filmed themselves outside Vithoulkas’s house as he drove by and during a baby shower there, and a tweet by Hedlund giving the date and location of Vithouklas’s daughter’s wedding – were among a long list of threatening ones the two men have made toward Vithoulkas and his family.

Hedlund has been an active YouTuber for several years, building an audience of followers numbering more than 10,000 on his “Ron Benghazi” account before YouTube shut down the channel in April. Since then, he and Barthel have combined to post videos on another channel, “The Benghazi Rabbit,” which has accumulated more than 37,000 followers. (Barthel typically dresses in a white rabbit costume when the two men set up their signs and displays in public.)

They have built their audience – and possibly thousands of dollars in advertising royalties from YouTube each month – by documenting, on an almost daily basis, nearly every interaction they have with the public. They’ve uploaded more than 50 videos to their page in the past week alone, most with between about 1,000 and 11,000 views. (Popular YouTube accounts typically earn between $3 and $5 for every 1,000 video views, according to Forbes magazine.)

In 2021, Hedlund attended a Veteran’s Day memorial event at the Virginia War Memorial and parked his vehicle with anti-Biden signage in a prominent spot, which prompted a veteran in attendance to cover the sign, leading to charged being filed against both men. He also protested at former U.S. Congressman Donald McEachin’s funeral last year.

In recent days, after his arrest, Hedlund has parked his vehicle and displayed his banners and wind dancer on the shoulders of least two public roads (but just outside the white lane markings): in front of The Shoppes at Crossridge shopping center on Staples Mill Road and in front of Nissan of Richmond on West Broad Street in Short Pump). He has claimed in the videos that he’s legally parked in a public right-of-way. Bolster told the Citizen that determining the legality of parking on a shoulder is dependent upon several issues, including whether the vehicle and associated items are creating a traffic hazard; who owns the property; whether there is a deeded easement; and whether there are regulatory signs posted that would allow for enforcement actions.

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Vithoulkas has become a focus of Hedlund’s displays in recent months. Hedlund posted a video Sept. 4 with a title referring to Vithoulkas in derogatory terms. In another recent video, posted earlier this month from near the West Broad Street-Pump Road intersection in Short Pump, Hedlund blames Vithoulkas for Hedlund’s escalation of obscene signs and displays.

“I’m not going to change – I’m going to escalate this even farther,” Hedlund tells a man who had approached him to complain about the signs. “I’m doing this in response to his tyranny. . . The reason I’m doing this is the First Amendment and John Vithoulkas. I’m getting a sign that says ‘I’m not a gynecologist, but I know a c—t when I see one,’ and I’m going to put the face of John Vithoulkas on that sign and I’m going to sit here every day.”

A sign displayed by Hedlund at that site and shown in the video reads “F—k John Vithoulkas” with a picture of the county manager, while another sign with a picture of Vithoulkas included an obscene drawing.

Vithoulkas declined to comment publicly about the matter or his protective order against Hedlund but told the Citizen he will be following the legal process as it plays out.

Hedlund refers to his activity as free speech that is protected by law.

“When people try to attack free speech, the solution to tyranny on free speech is more free speech, and that’s what you’re going to see here in Henrico County, until they realize you cannot control free speech, and then we’ll go away,” Hedlund says in the video. “But until then, the more they f—k around, the more they’re gonna find out.”

Bolster told the Citizen that police will continue to enforce local and state laws.

“I know there have been a lot of concerns from community members about the disorderly and obscene nature of some of the items that they have with them,” she said. “That’s something that we’re aware of and just working to ensure all state and local laws are followed.”

In a statement, police officials wrote that the division would uphold “its mission to protect the rights of all community members and visitors. Currently, detectives continue to investigate additional allegations of criminal misconduct related to individuals and others.”