Md. Prosecutors: Judge, Shut Defendant's Website

ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) -- Prosecutors in Montgomery County want to shut down the website of a defendant in a car theft case, saying they're concerned the site could influence the potential jury pool.

But a lawyer for the defendant, Reeco Richardson, says it's a free speech issue for his client to have the website and that he should have a place to respond to information police posted on their website.

The Washington Post reports that prosecutor Stephen Chaikin has asked a judge to order the site, www.justiceforreeco.com, closed. Montgomery State's Attorney John McCarthy says the motion is not meant to infringe on anybody's free speech rights.

In March, Richardson was a passenger in a Toyota Echo that had been reported stolen and crashed after a chase by police. He was the lone survivor.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)