YouTuber arrested after allegedly sharing private images of ex-girlfriend on podcast
YouTube: FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. PaulA YouTuber and podcast host has been arrested after allegedly sharing sensitive photos of a woman he knows to a guest on his show during a livestream.
37-year-old Aaron Imholte is the host of the Steel Toe Morning Show, a YouTube-based podcast that boasts over 13,000 subscribers.
During a May episode of the podcast, which was broadcast live, Imholte could be seen allegedly sending a sensitive image of a woman to his guest, which resulted in the following exchange.
“Did you check your [phone?]” Imholte asked.
“I like tattoos more than I thought,” the guest said after viewing the image.
“Your boy didn’t do too bad, did he?” Imholte responded.
The woman in question discovered the incident and reported it to police. Now, Imholte is facing criminal charges for “unauthorized dissemination of sexual images.”
In the complaint, which was shared with FOX 9 Minneapolis, the defendant claims that she and Imholte communicated using the ‘Signal’ app over a number of months before their relationship began to break down.
It was after this breakdown, during which Imholte reportedly “disparaged” the woman on his show, that he sent his guest her photos on his show without her consent, as per the complaint.
Imholte, however, told police that he “doesn’t recall sending or receiving” any such images. He was released on a $75,000 bond and was given a no-contact order.
The order requires him to avoid posting “disparaging comments” against the defendant online and on his podcast, and prevents her from being within 500 feet of her residence.
Imholte has since continued his podcast. He vaguely mentioned the incident in a September 5 episode of the show and thanked his fans for their support, but claimed he wouldn’t be discussing the matter further.
“Thank you for how generous you all were, thank you for how kind you all were. I’m getting so many messages of support. …so many people want to be like, on my staff. It’s amazing. …people know what it is.”
Imholte is far from the only YouTuber to be arrested over his content as of late. In July, a YouTube prankster was put in cuffs after dousing train passengers with a mixture of liquid gunk, including oils, beetroot juice, and wood for a video.