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HomeNewsShould Austin Rhodes Be Arrested for His Radio Comments on Joe Mullins?

Should Austin Rhodes Be Arrested for His Radio Comments on Joe Mullins?

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Joe MullinsJoe Mullins told authorities that he wants Austin Rhodes arrested for his radio-show comments on the businessman, filing a sheriff’s report that claims the WGAC-AM host has caused him safety concerns and led to his daughter being bullied at school.

Mullins is a Martinez resident who heads Mullins Management and Entertainment, a company that owns commercial real estate across the Southeast and manages nonprofit events.

WGAC AustinRhodes has been targeting Mullins on his afternoon radio show for running for office again, this time for a county commission seat in Flagler County in Florida where he owns a second home. Mullins lost a race for House District 122 in Georgia a few years ago.

But Mullins went to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office on Monday and filed a report against the veteran newsman for his recent attacks.

Here’s what the report says: “(Mullins) has become increasingly concerned with comments that radio host Austin Rhodes has continued to make about him. … During this (Feb. 27) broadcast, Mr. Rhodes talked about firearms and then proceeded to compare him to a snake and stated ‘snakes have to be dispatched or killed.’ “

In the coming days, Mullins claimed to have received two calls from a blocked number including one where the caller said “Rattlesnakes need to be killed.” The businessman also said his daughter has been bullied at school “as a result of the comments of Mr. Rhodes,” according to the report.

Authorities said they planned no action after listening to the audio recordings of the show. “At one point, Mr. Rhodes even indicated he was in no way wanting to harm Mr. Mullins physically,” the sheriff’s report says.

Facebook Joe MullinsA magistrate judge heard Mullin’s complaint and concluded there was no evidence that a criminal offense had occurred by Rhodes.

In addition to criticizing Mullins on the radio, Rhodes has also targeted him on Facebook. (See photo at right.)

We reached out to Rhodes for his reaction to the criminal complaint, and he called the matter “laughable.”

Here is Rhodes’ statement: “This is beyond ludicrous, and obviously a laughable waste of time. I believe with this complaint Mullins is attempting to create a smokescreen so he can dodge questions about his embarrassing personal and professional track record in Augusta.  He spent a King’s ransom in 2015 to finish a distant third in a local political race and he is now attempting to reinvent himself in another state 300 miles away.  He can move to Mars in the attempt to hide his record, but it won’t be far enough, his reputation sticks to him like stink on a skunk.”

Rhodes continued, “Out of an abundance of caution I did reach out to the mother of Joe Mullins’ daughter, the girl he alleged was being bullied at school because of my comments, and the mother said she had no knowledge whatsoever of any such bullying related to me or my comments.  I also reached out to school officials inquiring if ANY student at the elementary school in question had ever been bullied with my name invoked as the cause, and they said ‘NO.'”
Rhodes and Mullins have a history of conflict ever since the Georgia race in 2015. In fact, after Mullins lost, a Superior Court judge maintained a restraining order that the radio host obtained against Mullins and two of his associates. The order prevented the trio from “repeating false accusations” about Rhodes’ motives behind his vocal opposition to Mullins’ candidacy for state House, according to an Augusta Chronicle article.

Greg Rickabaugh
Greg Rickabaugh
Greg Rickabaugh is an award-winning crime reporter in the Augusta-Aiken area with experience writing for The Augusta Chronicle, The Augusta Press and serving as publisher of The Jail Report. Rickabaugh is a 1994 graduate of the University of South Carolina and has appeared on several crime documentaries on the Investigation Discovery channel.
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