CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Dalton Eatherly, the livestreamer known online as “Chud the Builder,” was released from jail on bond Sunday, the Montgomery County Jail confirmed to NewsChannel 5.
Eatherly had been in custody following a May 13 shooting outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville.
Prosecutors have said Eatherly approached Joshua Fox and his wife outside the courthouse and had a verbal exchange with them. When Fox later approached Eatherly, prosecutors said Eatherly appeared to reach for his gun before Fox punched him. During the fight that followed, prosecutors said Eatherly fired seven shots, striking Fox five times and himself at least once.
Fox was flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he underwent lifesaving surgery. Eatherly was treated for a gunshot wound to his arm.
Eatherly was charged with attempted murder, employing a firearm during a dangerous felony, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon. He was held on a $1 million bond.
Following his arrest, Eatherly raised more than $300,000 through an online fundraiser. However, the court later said it would not allow crowdsourced money to be used to post his bond.
A Montgomery County judge also ruled that no single bonding company could cover more than $100,000 of the bond, meaning Eatherly would need 10 bonding companies to secure his release. His attorney argued that only one or two of roughly 20 bonding companies in Montgomery County were willing to take the case, but the judge declined to change the limit.
Eatherly gained a large online following through livestreams in which he has repeatedly used racial slurs and confronted people in public. His case also drew support from white nationalists and other far-right figures, with supporters contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars toward his legal defense.
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