Star-obsessed man made ‘disturbing comments’ about children, restraining order filed
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The stars of “Home Town” filed a restraining order against a California man for making “disturbing comments” about their children, sources with knowledge of the case said, and he has since left Laurel.
John Gaffney, 58, was the defendant in a restraining order filed in Jones County Chancery Court on May 13 by plaintiffs Ben and Erin Napier and Jim and Mallorie Rasberry, according to court records. No details were known about the order signed by Judge Billie Graham because the case was marked “restricted entries” and documents marked with the message “Proceedings are not available.” The plaintiffs were represented by attorney Austin Stewart.
The restraining order came after a probable-cause hearing in Laurel Municipal Court, where Gaffney was going to face two misdemeanor charges, but he reportedly flew back to Santa Barbara before that.
“I had a couple of conversations with him,” Chief Tommy Cox of the Laurel Police Department said. “He called me to tell me what his plans were.”
Cox confirmed that Gaffney was back in Santa Barbara with an officer who was working on a case against him there, he said.
“I hope that puts everyone’s mind at ease,” Cox said.
Gaffney reportedly approached one of the stars of the hit HGTV and made “inappropriate and disturbing” overtures about them. He had dolls named after their children, a source with knowledge of the case said.
There were numerous reports from people downtown who saw Gaffney display behavior that was described as bizarre. He carried a Star Wars-style gun while dressed as a character from the movie. It was a “super soaker” water gun that he used to squirt patrons in and around at least two downtown businesses.
Gaffney sent a photo to the Leader-Call showing himself in a Storm Trooper outfit that he walked around town in and offered this message: “I would like to sincerely apologize for anyone who was startled or offended by my actions or costume on May 4th, ‘Annual Star Wars Day!’ Please accept my apology.”
He was reportedly in the process of purchasing a home on 5th Avenue that his since been taken off the market. That was after Gaffney sent out brochures around Laurel offering a $1,000 reward for anyone who could help him find a home for sale in the historic district so he could get the Napiers to renovate it for him.
A couple of weeks before arriving in Laurel, Gaffney was charged with making terrorist threats and brandishing a weapon in a a Santa Barbara neighborhood, according to the April 22 edition of media outlet Edhat. He was accused of pulling a firearm and a taser after a verbal altercation and the accuser reported “serious verbal threats” to harm him.
Gaffney then fled into his apartment before the police arrived, according to the report, and officers set up a perimeter around his residence before convincing him to surrender. A stun gun, taser and pepper spray were found in the residence. He was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail and released after posting $50,000 bail.
The charges against Gaffney there have since been reduced to misdemeanors, Cox said.
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