Featured Image Credit: X/ChudTheBuilder
Dalton Levi Eartherly, better known by his online moniker 'ChudTheBuilder', faces a potentially significant prison sentence following a bond worth $1.25 million after being charged with attempted murder following a shooting incident.
It's not abnormal these days to see live streamers on platforms like Twitch and Kick find themselves in trouble with the law, but you're more likely than not to find that the subjects of these arrests are already controversial in their own right.
Often basing their content around provocation and harassment, streamers like Vitaly and Johnny Somali have found themselves in serious trouble abroad and subject to 'hellish' prison conditions after causing chaos in public.
While Vitaly has since been deported to Russia from the Philippines, Somali faces a longer-than-expected time in prison thanks to his own appeal — although the conditions don't seem to be quite as bad as some expected.
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The most recent streamer to find himself in a courtroom, however, is ChudTheBuilder, who was arrested after a shooting incident outside of the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville, Tennessee on May 13, as reported by Dexerto.
Eartherly, 28, has made a name for himself online by harassing people in 'ragebait' style content, targeting black individuals in particular.
His controversial career began after he was fired from his construction job for allegedly calling a black woman the n-word, and has since used that to catapult himself into the right-wing political sphere online as a 'free speech patriot'.
The streamer also frequently carries a firearm on his person when streaming, and this became key to his recent arrest after the warrant indicated that he reached for his weapon prior to a physical alteration with another man outside of the courthouse.
Police claim that Eartherly "turned his body in a bladed stance" before reaching for the weapon in his jacket pocket, after which he fired multiple shots that hit the individual he was in a physical altercation with.
Law enforcement charged the streamer with attempted criminal homicide, employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.
As indicated by MS NOW, Eartherly previously suggested in a post on X that his actions would lead to someone's death – particularly after he 'walked free' from his initial trial – including heavily racist language in the tweet.
If he is sentenced for the alleged crimes, Eartherly could face prison time of up to 56 years, although more 'realistic' estimations would put this closer to 21 years at a minimum alongside hefty fines.
Eartherly would also be subject to Tennessee's 100% sentencing rules for certain crimes committed after July 1, 2022 — of which first degree murder is included. This means that he would be without any normal parole eligibility, requiring him to serve the entirety of the sentence.
One factor that is likely to increase the severity of his sentence is the fact that ChudTheBuilder was already out on bail for a prior arrest, after the streamer failed to pay a $400 restaurant bill and refused demands for him to end his stream.
This all remains subject to the determination of the courts however, and Eartherly has yet to be sentenced following the charges placed on his name.
His bail has been listed at a staggering figure of $1.25 million, although a GiveSendGo fundraiser set up by fans to 'Help the Chud and his family' has raised over $250,000 so far, which surpasses the typical 10% amount required in a non-refundable fee.
Some speculate that he could be prevented from using this money for bail, however, as content creator Robbie Harvey has claimed that the state's District Attorney is implementing a move that would require Eartherly to put up collateral for the rest of the bail fee.
