SEATTLE — The man known as the “Belltown Hellcat”, Miles Hudson, sat inside a Seattle Municipal Courtroom Monday more subdued than in past hearings. For the first time, the 21-year-old didn’t attempt to hide from media cameras by wearing a scarf or balaclava and, instead, kept his face uncovered as Judge Seth Niesen ruled he violated a court order not to post content to his social media accounts on Instagram and Twitch.
That order came under fire last week by Hudson’s defense attorneys who asked Niesen to reconsider his order because it could violate Hudson’s First Amendment right to free speech. But, Niesen ruled against that motion and a request from prosecutors to issue a $25,000 bench warrant for violating the court order in the first place.
“It’s clear to the court that the defendant’s attempts at internet celebrity are the driving force behind his alleged criminal conduct,” Judge Niesen said. “Therefore the court’s narrowly-tailored order, limiting the rights as part of a pre-trial condition of release, serves a significant government interest in preventing the defendant from both committing a violent crime as well as interfering with the administration of justice.”
In the end, it was Hudson’s creation of a second Instagram account named “alone.miles” that persuaded Niesen. He said the second account seemed to be another attempt by Hudson to skirt a court order. The first, according to prosecutors, came when Hudson bought new license plates for his modified Dodge Challenger SRT “Hellcat” after a court order Niesen issued identified the vehicle by its original license plates. That order has since been modified to include the vehicle’s VIN.
Background on Belltown Hellcat
Hudson first gained online notoriety for posting videos of himself driving his modified Dodge fast and loud through the city’s Belltown neighborhood late at night.
In May, Seattle’s City Attorney charged Hudson with two counts of reckless driving and ordered him to change the car’s illegal exhaust system back to the car’s stock exhaust system.
In July, during a hearing for an ongoing domestic violence case in municipal court, Niesen ordered Hudson to not post any and all content related to both cases to his social media accounts, including his Instagram account with the handle @srt.miles.
Prosecutors said several tipsters sent them screen grabs of Hudson’s social accounts alleging they violated the court order. One of those screen captures shows a person wearing what appears to be an ankle monitoring bracelet, holding a key chain that looks identical to the “Hellcat” key chain shared by Hudson in previous social media posts. Part of Hudson’s recent release on bail included wearing an ankle monitoring bracelet at all times. Court documents also stated Hudson posted the photo and other content using Instagram’s “story” feature, meaning the content disappears after 24 hours.
In addition, prosecutors said Hudson created a TikTok account entitled “srt.miles” and that Hudson is selling subscriber-only content under his new “not.srtmiles” handle for $9.99 a month which includes access to exclusive content behind the scenes and an “ask me anything” option.
Belltown Hellcat’s other legal issues
Hudson also faces a $25,000 bench warrant issued by Renton City prosecutors who said Hudson failed to appear for a hearing last week related to a 2023 altercation with his mother. According to court documents, Hudson pleaded guilty to slamming his mother to the ground after she refused to make him coffee. He was sentenced to serve one year in jail, but instead, a judge suspended that sentence as long as he agreed to not break any laws and to attend all future court hearings. According to court records, Hudson spent just two days behind bars at the time.
More on the Belltown Hellcat: Court sets new bail for ‘Belltown Hellcat’ as he faces stalking allegations
In Seattle, in addition to two charges of reckless driving, Hudson faces charges of stalking and harassment in Seattle connected to a former girlfriend. Court documents stated Hudson allegedly showed up at his ex’s job and harassed her in front of her co-workers. When the woman left, prosecutors claim Hudson followed her home and continued to call her and message her. Niesen ordered the $5,000 bail in that case forfeited and issued a new $15,000 bail Monday.
Before Hudson was taken into custody, Niesen spoke directly to Hudson and warned him not to try and circumvent any more of his orders.
“If you come in front of this court with a second violation, it is going to be very problematic,” Judge Niesen said. “I want you to have the opportunity to live the life you want to live, but you have to comply with my orders.”
Luke Duecy is a reporter for KIRO Newsradio.
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