NBC San Diego is reporting that Jason Russell, the co-founder of Invisible Children, the advocacy group behind the "Kony 2012" viral video, was detained at 11:30 am on Thursday morning for allegedly masturbating in public.
NBC San Diego is reporting that Jason Russell, the co-founder of Invisible Children, the advocacy group behind the "Kony 2012" viral video, was detained at 11:30 am on Thursday morning for allegedly masturbating in public.
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According to TMZ, Russell was allegedly under the influence of alcohol. Police also told TMZ that he was vandalizing cars.
NBC San Diego released a statement from Ben Keesey, the organization's CEO, noting that the "past two weeks have taken a severe emotional toll on all of us," and that the toll had "manifested itself in an unfortunate incident yesterday."
Russell, a co-founder of Invisible Children, created the 30-minute film featuring himself, his son, Gavin, and a former child soldier from Uganda named Jacob. Last week, the film received millions of views and rocketed Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, to fame. However, many were quick to respond with criticisms of the film and the organization's spending practices.
Jason Russell is described on the organization's website as a "grand storyteller and dreamer" who dreams of "redefining the concept of humanitarian work" and having "nine more children" with his wife.
A phone call to the San Diego Police Department department had not been returned at the time of publication, and the phone line at Invisible Children was not operating.
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