Aaron Hoffman: Virginia Deputy Fired by Prince William County Over Parler Posts

Aaron Hoffman is a Virginia man who was fired from his position as a deputy with the Prince William County Sheriff’s Office after “disturbing” posts were uncovered on his social media, Sheriff Glendell Hill said. The posts on Parler, a platform popular with right-wingers and those who have claimed they’re being silenced on Twitter, were connected to the 44-year-old Hoffman by Charlottesville journalist Molly Conger in a December 25 Twitter thread.

Hoffman described his work as a “human interaction specialist” at the Prince William County Sheriff’s Office, according to his now-deleted LinkedIn profile shared by Conger on Twitter. He also uses the name Grant Tucker in his side-career as an aspiring country musician, Conger discovered. She connected the Tucker profile to Hoffman after he shared a photo of himself in uniform on a Facebook page for his singing career. On Parler, he used the name @WeThePeopleWarrior, Conger found. Conger linked Hoffman to the Parler profile after he changed his profile picture to a custom piece of art he purchased on Fiverr. He left a review for the purchase using the Tucker name and his photo.

Hoffman, who was fired December 26 after an internal investigation, told The Washington Post his Parler account was hacked and he didn’t make the posts. He said he noticed suspicious activity on his email and closed the account. “I did not make those posts. I’m trying to figure out who did,” Hoffman told the newspaper. Hoffman added, “I do understand the community’s concern. I’ve been a public servant for over 15 years, and I take that very seriously. I am in no way a threat to the public. This disturbs me as well.”

In a December 26 statement posted to Facebook, the sheriff’s office said, “Early yesterday our agency was notified about disturbing comments being made on several social media outlets by a deputy sheriff. Hill was notified and ordered an Internal Affairs investigation. The investigation has concluded and the deputy has been terminated from employment with our office. We thank the public for bringing this to our attention.”

Prince William County is located in northern Virginia and the sheriff’s office serves “the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, and the towns of Dumfries, Haymarket, Occoquan, and Quantico,” according to its Facebook page.

Here’s what you need to know about now-fired Prince William County deputy Aaron Hoffman:

1. Hoffman Has Worked in Law Enforcement for 15 Years & Was Praised in a 2016 Facebook Post by the Sheriff’s Office

Hoffman has worked in law enforcement for 15 years, according to his now-deleted LinkedIn profile. He told The Post he plans to consult attorneys about the posts and his termination.

Hoffman was praised in a 2016 Facebook post by the sheriff’s office after a resident posted a photo showing him letting a child press buttons in his patrol car. The sheriff’s office shared the photo and wrote, “an ‘aweee’ moment! Way to go Deputy Hoffman!”

Hill, the Prince William County Sheriff, told The Washington Post about the comments on Hoffman’s Parler profile, “I find them very despicable, and that’s why I took the action that I took. I certainly don’t approve of that, and, of course, it’s against our policy.” Hill is a Republican who was elected as the county’s sheriff in 2007.

According to its website, “The Prince William County Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with elected leaders, staff and citizens, as part of public safety, will provide security at the Judicial Center, serve all court process, provide timely transport for prisoners and patients, and continue to develop and enhance collaboration with all of our partners. … Our primary responsibility is securing the Judicial Center and serving civil process. The Sheriff’s Office holds concurrent law enforcement jurisdiction with local police departments and stands ready to assist the police in their primary duties whenever and wherever needed.”

2. Posts on Hoffman’s Parler Account Said Patriots Should Storm the Homes of Liberal Politicians, Judges & Social Media Company CEOs to ‘Remove Them’

Conger, who posts on the content platform Patreon and is a freelance writer and journalist, posted screenshots of posts on Hoffman’s Parler account, which were removed after she revealed his identity on Twitter on Christmas morning. Conger said she and others started looking into Hoffman after they began monitoring Proud Boy Jeremy Bertino, who was involved in violence during pro-Trump protests in Washington, D.C., in mid-December.

On Hoffman’s Parler page, where he used the name “WeThePeopleWarrior,” he wrote, “‘We the People’ Will NOT be muzzled with masks. We will NOT be silenced. Will NOT concede to tyranny. Will NOT be bullied. ‘We the People’ own this country! Virginia Patriot and the ‘Black Sheep.’” Hoffman joined Parler on November 9, 2020.

In one post found by Conger, Hoffman’s account replied to a post from @Noblebeard. The other user was telling police officers to “pick a f****** side” because “this war is inevitable,” saying officers should not follow unconstitutional orders or defend “maggot politicians.” Hoffman’s account replied:

Some of us will keep our badge on and enforce the constitution upon those who attack ‘We the People.’ I will not resign my powers given under oath. My pledge was before God and to the People…not to a Governor, Mayor, County Executive or any other commie that thinks the rule over the People. … If this is our time to refresh the Tree of Liberty then let’s not half ass our sacrifice. Make it count! … I don’t sleep wondering how we will turn this thing around and what will happen to me and my family when I’m forced to refuse orders…but…Strength, Honor & Respect have served me well. God is still in control knows my fate.

Posts on Hoffman’s account said the Proud Boys and other right-wingers should not have been marching in D.C., instead calling for other action. Posts found by Conger on his page said, “Why are we marching again? We mock the socialist Libtards for attempting the same failing ideologies country to country, state to state, generation to generation, who expect a different result other than failure….but we are doing the same thing. Do you REALLY think the Communists will stop now just because you wore your Trump hat, superhero Trump flag and March in the cold in an empty city? Wake the f*** up!!”

The posts continued, “Physically take back your states!!! Not by votes, phone calls or emails, but by force. Now is the time and DC is not the target. … Find the homes of every Governor, mayor, attorney general, liberal judge, senator, congressman and every major media/social media CEO…find them, remove them from their sanctuary. Bring the nightmare to where they lay their heads and kiss their loved ones. Show them that they are NOT untouchable.”

The posts also said, “Remove them and let America vote again for each position. This is not an overthrow of the government….it is taking out the trash and cleansing OUR HOUSE!!”

The posts on Hoffman’s account criticized officials for COVID-19 regulations, including mask orders and lockdowns, writing, “The time for chanting is past…this is our chance before they lockdown any tighter.”

3. Hoffman’s Account Shared Photos of His Guns & Sheriff’s Office Tactical Vests & Said Chief Justice John Roberts’ Life ‘Needs to Be Shortened’

Conger also shared a post from Hoffman’s account of his guns, including multiple rifles, and tactical vests, including one with sheriff written across it. The post said he was waiting for two suppressors to clear ATF screening so “she will be complete,” referencing one of his guns.

His account also posted he would “kill anyone that touches my children without consent. Not a threat, but a promise,” while replying to a post saying D.C. passed a bill allowing for vaccinations without parental knowledge. His account also replied to a post about Chief Justice John Roberts, writing, “Sounds like his life needs to be shortened.”

Another post shared by Conger from Hoffman’s account said, “I think God has been looking out for me because I couldn’t handle someone like this in my face without becoming insanely violent. No one seems bold enough to confront me for not wearing a mask…I guess it’s God keeping me from murdering the mentally ill.”

4. Hoffman Told a Local News Station the Situation Is a ‘Giant Nightmare’ & He Didn’t Publish the Posts on Parler

Despite being fired by the sheriff after an internal investigation, Hoffman has said he did not make the posts on his account himself, telling Fox 5 News the situation is a “giant nightmare.” He denied being behind the posts. He told the Virginia news station he is a conservative and did create the Parler account but barely posts on it. He said he was hacked and is trying to figure out who set him up, the news station reported.

“No, I did not make the post. That was my Parler account from what I’ve been shown so far. I saw some weird irregularities going on top of some of my e-mail accounts started going haywire with tons of spam and what not so I started deleting everything, trying to figure out where it was coming from then got called into the sheriff’s office with ‘we got an issue,’” Hoffman told Fox 5 News. “I totally understand Sheriff Hill’s decision in this because it does look bad. I do not in any way condone violence towards elected officials. I’ve been a public servant for 15 years and I’ve taken that very seriously. I am not part of any groups, militias, any extremist, I don’t go to rallies.”

The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Hoffman’s statements that he did not make the posts himself. Hoffman could not be reached for additional comment by Heavy and it is not clear if he has hired an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Hill told Virginia Delegate Danica Roem, who represents parts of Prince William County, the hacking “claim from the deputy came up during the internal investigation but Sheriff Hill determined there was no evidence to support it,” according to Roem’s Facebook post. “The investigation is still ongoing,” the sheriff told Roem.

5. Hoffman Published His Music Using the ‘Grant Tucker’ Stage Name Online

FacebookAaron Hoffman.

Along with his career as a police officer, Hoffman is also an aspiring country musician, using the stage name Grant Tucker. He has been performing in Virginia for several years and posted his music on SoundCloud, YouTube and ReverbNation.

On the website SoundBetter, he advertised himself for writing, producing, mixing and vocal gigs. He wrote, “Singer/songwriter/producer/mixing engineer…involved in the music industry for over 20 years. Grant Tucker Music Let me know if you need my help with your project!? I can write, mix, produce and even record male vocals for your project!”

According to Conger, Hoffman had recently posted about a career move. He wrote on LinkedIn, on a post about starting a new career, “Thank you for the encouragement! Let me know if you have any input for someone that has been in law enforcement for 14 years and is ready to move up where there’s growth potential and monetary compensation for effort.”

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