Rock Church pastor’s efforts to get protester convicted of stalking are denied by judge
A stalking charge filed by longtime Rock Church International pastor John Blanchard against a frequent protester of the megachurch was dismissed Tuesday by a Virginia Beach judge.
District Judge Wanda Cooper also denied Blanchard’s request for a protective order that would have required protester Jamie Thomas to keep a safe distance and have no contact with the pastor.
The rulings came at the end of a two-hour hearing in which Blanchard, 53, and his daughter, Amelia Blanchard, 30, testified about the fear they said Thomas has caused since he began weekly protests outside the church in late December.
They claimed some of the statements Thomas made suggested he was keeping them under surveillance and wanted to get into a physical confrontation with John Blanchard. The pastor filed a criminal complaint April 16 against Thomas, who was arrested outside the church that day and released on his own recognizance.
Thomas, 43, lives in North Carolina but grew up in Virginia Beach and works there. He said he began his protests to call on Blanchard to resign in the wake of prostitution-related charges filed against him in October 2021.
Blanchard — referred to by his attorney during Tuesday’s hearing as the church’s former lead pastor — was one of 17 men arrested during a police sting in Chesterfield County. Investigators said an undercover officer posing as a 17-year-old prostitute had been communicating with the men online and arranged to meet them at a motel. Each was arrested when they arrived and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution. Those who drove there also were charged with using a vehicle to promote prostitution.
While most of the men were fully prosecuted, charges against Blanchard and one other were withdrawn last year without explanation from prosecutors. Chesterfield County Commonwealth’s Attorney Stacey Davenport, however, announced in January that she had asked a special prosecutor from Brunswick County to investigate Blanchard after receiving new evidence involving him. The special prosecutor is expected to announce by June 7 whether he plans to seek an indictment against Blanchard.
Blanchard’s lawyer in the stalking and protective order cases, Brian Latuga, played multiple YouTube videos in court Tuesday that Thomas posted under the name “Buffaloman11.″ Thomas can be heard saying he knows Blanchard’s home address, what car he’d driven to the church and his desire to confront the pastor. He also can be heard repeatedly chanting things like, “Pedophiles don’t belong in churches, they belong in prison” through a bullhorn.
But the videos also show that Thomas and the handful of others who joined him remained on a public sidewalk outside the church’s spacious campus in the Kempsville area and never went past the “no trespassing” signs on the property.
Defense attorney Tim Anderson, a former state delegate who’s also been a frequent and vocal critic of Blanchard’s, argued Thomas’ actions were legally protected under the law.
“This case is about the First Amendment and Mr. Thomas standing outside a church and saying mean things to Mr. Blanchard,” said Anderson. “That’s free speech. That’s the First Amendment. It’s on public property and he’s allowed to do that.”
Cooper told Blanchard that while she appreciated his concern, the evidence presented wasn’t sufficient to support a stalking conviction, or the need for a protective order. There was no evidence Thomas had ever followed Blanchard or contacted him in any way other than standing on the sidewalk with a bullhorn and signs, the judge said.
“That’s just what they (protesters) do,” Cooper said. “I don’t see it as any different than the people outside an abortion clinic. It’s ugly but it’s something our Constitution allows.”
Thomas said afterward he plans to resume his protests on Sunday.
Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com
