Bo Rupert, standing, addresses Court Commissioner Wendy Tripp and witness Officer Josh Mercer while Officer Mike Lowrey, left, and his attorney Shane O’Rourke are seated in Lewis County District Court.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – One might say it was a slam dunk.
A Centralia police officer seeking an anti-harassment order against a 20-year-old local man faced off in court yesterday, and near the end of the half-day hearing, Bo D. Rupert summed up his opposition.
Rupert urged Lewis County District Court Commissioner Wendy Tripp not to grant the order. But said if she did, she may as well put in a restriction that prohibits him from coming within 1,000 feet of Officer Mike Lowrey.
“Because I might be forced to make a decision I might not want to make,” Rupert said, in the Chehalis courtroom, to the commissioner.
Lowrey petitioned for the order on Feb. 13, after the discovery Rupert had re-posted photos of him and his family on a social media site, and had also posted his opinion Lowrey and two other officers should be executed for treason.
The officer, represented by Centralia attorney Shane O’Rourke, made the request as a private citizen. But he asked that Rupert be prevented from harassing his wife, his four children and himself, both on and off duty.
Tripp heard from Lowrey, from Centralia Police Department Sgt. Stacy Denham, from Centralia Police Officer Josh Mercer, from last year’s losing candidate for Lewis County Sheriff Brian Green, and from O’Rourke and Rupert. The 20-year-old represented himself.
“Your own witness said you were abrasive,” Tripp said. “You’re somewhat of a volatile personality. That comes across.”
Tripp noted the two sides described interactions that took place on certain days at certain places, but had little else in common.
It’s possible the situation that started Rupert’s upset with Lowrey, at Starbucks with Rupert’s nephew, was based on a mistaken notion, she said.
Rupert contended Lowrey got his nephew banned from the business, simply because he was related to him. Lowrey’s said he wasn’t working the day of the incident.
“You said you became extremely angry, because he involved your family,” Tripp said. “But you don’t seem to have insight, you involved his family.”
“You’re crossing a line, there’s no doubt in my mind,” she said.
Tripp decided Rupert could have no contact with Lowrey’s family, or with Lowrey when he is off duty.
“I’m not going to make an order that involves him as a police officer, I think that’s unenforceable,” she said.
Tripp alluded to the option of Lowrey dealing with any harassing behavior while Lowrey is in uniform in other ways.
The anti-harassment order would be effective for one year, she said.
What Tripp didn’t address directly when she spoke to the men at the end of the hearing, was Rupert’s videotaping of officers performing their jobs. The resident of both Chehalis and Centralia says he does it as a volunteer for a police accountability group called Peaceful Streets Lewis County.
Rupert indicated he planned to get an order against Lowrey. That he’s written a letter to the Attorney General, and that he’s going to go to the FBI.
Outside the courtroom, Lowrey said he is relieved.
“The whole thing is protecting my family,” he said.
In the same hallway on the third floor of the Lewis County Law and Justice Center, Rupert said he will appeal.
“I’m pissed as hell about it,” he said. “I’m just trying to show a lesson, you don’t involve people’s family and not expect someone to fight back as I did.”
Then he tore in half his copy of the order and left it, along with the dumped-out papers from his briefcase laying on the counter, and walked out the door.
•••
For background, read “Centralia police officer asks judge to order citizen to stop harassing him” from Thursday March 19, 2015, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
The sleeping giant, It was a former Centralia cop named Gary Byrnes that did that to the man you are speaking of. His name was David Lowe, a good man from my account. Lowery was in the wrong, I will take that belief to my grave. He is also corrupt and I will never stop trying to expose that. I will never be bullied, intimidated, or otherwise oppressed to stop doing what I do. I don’t care what anyone says about me publicly, on sirens, on social media or anywhere else. I am righteous in doing what I do and I will never quit doing that unless they silence my tongue permanently. I don’t care what horrible, nasty, untrue, libelous personal attacks people launch against me, I will never lose my spirit or my desire to do what is right and see to it that the right thing is done. I will never quit fighting for the abused, oppressed, the weak, and those who are in too much fear to speak up or fight back. I want to thank all of you who have supported me and believed me and believed in me along the way. Your support is forever appreciated. Don’t ever be afraid to speak up and fight against evil.
Keep fighting patriots,
Bo D. Rupert
People say dont bring family members into this well thats exactly what the police do when they come to your home. I have seen the videos that have been posted and the police are asking Bo for his Id. Why they already know who he is. It seems like Lowery has a score to settle with Bo. He brings up things that are unrelated to the reasons he is stopping Ruppert. Lowery and the other cops are heard on video talking about his uncle and false reporting issues even though they stopped him for Jay Walking. The Centralia Pd needs to be under investigation they are sspect criminals hiding behind badges. Lowery, many people in this community know your a dirty cop im glad your in the spot light. If your concerned about your familys safety then quit shitting in your own back yard. Its time we put body cameras and dash cameras on the Centralia police. Then we as a community can really see the truth. Until that happens the police are just liars with badges. Youtube is full of thousands of incidents of police brutality and corruption. Until the body cameras are used im going to side with Bo Rupert. Just be careful make sure you are streaming you video live. The Centralia police have in the past shut of video cameras and destroyed recording equipment. There used to be a guy called the dirty cop enforcer that had evidence of that happening to him. He used to have this web site called dirty cops or something like that. I think they ran him out of tow. Be careful Bo they choked him in jand cuffs i think it was Lowerys brother that did it to him.
It occurred to me; did Mr. Rupert ever consider – the petitioner, as well as their spouse may have extended family living in the area?
Do to his publicity seeking, Mr. Rupert is recognizable – not to mention where he maintains his where-abouts.
He could have eyes watching him and he’d never know when or whom those eyes might belong to.
You know how convoluted those family trees can be — they might not all be respecters of the legal system.
Purely speculative on my part, however, you understand.
Wait! Rupert has a criminal record? As he makes news I’m sure the next thing we will read is how he has been arrested for violation of the Anti Harassment Order. Its only a matter of time. His 15 minutes have come and gone.
“Rupert had re-posted photos of him and his family on a social media site, and had also posted his opinion Lowrey and two other officers should be executed for treason.”
There’s just something that scares me about anyone who believes their way only is right and any other way deserves death. ISIS seems to be having a lot of success with that very line of logic. Is this how an ISIS or the NAZI movement started? One person believing theirs is the only “right way” and everyone else not in that camp deserves death?
Pretty sick way to look at the world.
Isn’t this the same guy who while helping Green run for Sheriff told the Chronicle he would sue them if they made his criminal record public?
So who’s really the corrupt one here, the cop shagging calls or the person harassing the cop and his family?
i am only posting on here because I know Bo will read this. He has an extreme need for attention, thrives on the drama he is able to create that keeps him in the news and feeds his ego. So misguided, and an embarrassment to our community. Use some of that energy to get a real education Bo. Stop looking for trouble!
Bo is a troubled young man who is being used by Green and is receiving bad council from folks who are using him. He clearly has some talent in regards to his ability to communicate but is not using it the right way. I am sure that he is being tracked by local LE as a threat. I hope those close to him and those with influence will direct him away from his current path before he makes a fateful decision.
I happened to see Mr. Rupert yesterday afternoon, walking down Pearl in his blue blazer, attaché case in hand. White legal papers jutting from out the topside of the attaché. Made for quite the first impression.
I believe that Mr Rupert is within his rights to videotape police officers as they do their jobs as long as he does not interfere with them. Standing on the other side of the street videotaping is okay. Yelling at them and getting in their face is not.
Taping the officer’s families and posting them on line is not at all right.
If officers act as though they are always being video taped they will act professionally.
This is why the commissioner probably did not address the issue of video taping.
If Bo stays his distance from the officer and just video tapes their actions he is within his legal rights.
I do not think this issue will be going away any time soon though.
He should have been charged with littering for leaving the torn up order on the counter. Just kidding.
“’Because I might be forced to make a decision I might not want to make,’ Rupert said, in the Chehalis courtroom, to the commissioner.”
I’d say Bo’s already “gone,” pshaaw. Nothing like an implied threat against a police officer in a courtroom (after publicly calling for his execution) to make yourself appear to be clearly out of control. This kid’s life is not going to end well.
Looks like two clowns in the same circus. One of them happens to have a badge. :/
Officer Lowery I support you and your decision. Family first and way to not back down to that coward.
The picture that I have seen of the person that BO D RUPERT is say is his nephew-is not. BO D. RUPERT does not have any black relation in his family. The person that he has in that picture is a child that is related to a person that was killed in Centralia in 1978. I can not believe that the child mother aloud him to post that picture. All of BO D RUPERTS relation is in Centralia, Shelton, Nowata Oklahoma. Thank you to the courts of Lewis County for granting the harassment order for Officer Mike Lowery.
You go Bo!!