Jail Saga



Following allegations in late July and the eventual confirmation that Chris had committed incest with Barb, hundreds of people contacted the Greene County police, and authorities conducted a welfare check on the Chandler home, issuing an Emergency Protective Order on Chris the following day (essentially a temporary week-long restraining order). Chris was made temporarily homeless and stayed at the Richmond Regency Inn in the meantime. Chris was arrested on 1 August 2021, outside of the Inn. The arrest was captured live on stream by several onlookers. Surprisingly, despite Chris's past history with the law, he made no attempt to resist arrest and was cooperative with the police.

From 2 August 2021 until his release on 27 March 2023, Chris had been an inmate at Central Virginia Regional Jail (save for a brief stint at Western State Hospital) while awaiting legal proceedings for the charge of incest. The Greene County Sheriff's office had claimed pending charges yet to be identified were also being considered but no further charges have emerged as of March 2023. Chris was arraigned on 5 August 2021 and was being held without bond. Hearings in November 2021, February 2022, and July 2022 resulted in continuances.

Since his arrest, Chris's only contact with the outside world has been through written correspondence and phone calls, which began in August 2021 and continued through February 2022. On 28 February 2022, Chris was transferred from the Central Virginia Regional Jail to Western State Hospital, a mental institution, as he was deemed incompetent to stand trial. On 3 May 2022, Chris was transferred back to Central Virginia Regional Jail, having been restored as competent to stand trial.

In July 2022, the last hearing within the J&DR court's jurisdiction occurred and the case was elevated to the circuit court, where it was sent to a Grand Jury for a potential felony charge.

In August 2022, the Grand Jury hearing was postponed with a continuance. A motion by Chris's lawyer for an autism disorder deferred disposition was filed, to be considered by the court. Shortly after, Chris's case was sealed, though bits of information still emerged. By 11 August, the case file was updated to note that "waive right to indictment" and "transportation order" were added and that a review of Chris's case is scheduled for August 2023.

In January 2023, another review was scheduled to take place on 27 January; this resulted in a continuance to 14 February 2023 (Valentine's Day), which was later rescheduled to 13 February. This resulted in a continuance to 7 March 2023. This resulted in a continuance.

On 27 March 2023, Chris was reported by VineLink as either bonded out or released by court order from custody. On 3 April 2023, the Greene County Circuit Court followed up with a Release Order.

Background


It is a criminal offense in Virginia to engage in incest - sexual activities between a parent and a child are a class 5 felony, punishable on indictment by up to 10 years incarceration. Despite rumors, Chris hasn't been charged for rape, and whether or not Chris's affairs were entirely consensual remains unknown.

In either the late night of 27 July or the early morning of 28 July 2021, Chris discussed having sex with his mother in a call and text messages with Isabella Loretta Janke. On the night of 29 July, EllDudeRocks and the Suitress leaked the files. The next morning, as reports poured in, Greene County Police visited 14 Branchland Court for a wellness check. They issued Chris an Emergency Protective Order, forbidding contact between him and Barbara, and by extension, preventing him from remaining at her residence until 5 August. Meanwhile, Barbara was relocated to a hospital for a senior care inspection.

As a result of the protection order levied against Chris, he was without a home for the time being. Due to ongoing financial problems, Chris could not afford a hotel. Null advised him to sleep in his van for one night, noting that Chris would have have the proceeds of Chris's GoFundMe (originally intended for Chris's trip to Everfree Northwest) transferred to his bank account the following day. Initial plans to stay with Aunt Harriet and Uncle Tom were disrupted after their invitation was rescinded - likely while he was already on the way to their home.

On 30 July, Chris commented that Everfree Northwest had revoked him from attending its convention. Due to the disturbing and lurid nature of the allegations, hashtags and topics such as #ChrisChan and #CHRISCHANDIDWHAT trended on Twitter, reaching 4th overall trend on 30 July, exposing a large number of otherwise uninvolved individuals to the story of Chris Chan causing an Orbiter Wave.

That same day, Chris made an ominous post to Discord server The Knights of CWC:

"Also, gonna go radio silent for a while. Know that I am well-guided, safe and well, and I have y’all to thank in part for that as well."

On 31 July, Null, who had access to Chris's email (with Chris's permission) since the Guard Dogs Saga, found that Chris had received $750.00 from Barb's bank account, meaning he had either contacted Barb or gained access to Barb's bank account himself, either of which would violate the emergency protection order. When confronted, Chris initially denied the accusation, claiming he had "managed to find blessings in the minimum abundance needed." However, upon further questioning Chris about the money, he confirmed that he had had access to Barb's account for some time, contrary to Null's previous assumption that Barb had been in control of Chris's finances and not vice versa. Being upset by Chris embezzling from his mother and feeling betrayed that Chris lied to him to try to cover it up, Null finally cut all contact with him, reported the theft to authorities, and canceled the transfer of the GoFundMe money, arranging for it to be refunded to the donors.

Arrest
"I am Chris-Chan Sonichu, your Goddess Blue Heart, and I continue to stand strong, and I maintain everything with CWCVille and my Sonichus and Rosechus and everybody. I keep in good faith that everything is going to work out."

- Chris, while being arrested.

On the evening of 31 July, Reddit user Chrisisaman located Son-chu at the Regency Inn in Richmond, confirming that Chris was in the city and that he would be spending time in a motel. The next day, a number of people attempted to observe or contact Chris there. Observers noticed police cars stationed at the motel, but because the place was known to have a seedy reputation, it was not obvious if they were there for Chris or for some other reason. These cop cars eventually left without arresting Chris.

The most significant of the observers was YouTuber Ethan Ralph who livestreamed himself and his friends driving to the motel to meet Chris. The group ordered a pizza in the hopes of luring him out, but this was unsuccessful. They then went about knocking on every door on the second floor (Chris had previously been filmed walking along the second floor balcony, suggesting that was where he was staying), but this was fruitless as well, and only led to the menagerie being ordered to leave by a motel employee.

Not giving up, the group went to the (of 'the bear' fame) across the street, following (incorrect) speculation that Chris might be there since he was not in his room. While livestreaming at the mall they had an encounter with a police officer, who would happen to be one of the officers who arrested Chris a few hours later (as Ethan acknowledges during the arrest).

Later that afternoon, Ralph was tipped off that four Henrico County police cars had shown up at the motel. At around 6:00 PM, he got back just in time to film two officers perp-walking Chris down from his room, streaming the whole debacle for a live audience of over 3,000 viewers. While the police talked to Chris, Ralph sporadically yelled questions and comments, to which Chris occasionally responded.

Unlike Chris's previous run-ins with the law, he remained mostly calm and compliant during the arrest (possibly due to The WCT having advised him the previous day to cooperate with the police during his arrest), though he rambled about the Dimensional Merge to both the police and Ralph's crew, promising that the Merge was in fact happening right at that moment. The police then loaded Chris into a squad car and left without answering Ralph's questions. An additional POV shot filmed by an anonymous onlooker showed Chris climbing directly into the cop car – the last footage of Chris to date.

Transcript
NOTE: This transcript begins around 2:24:54, shortly after Ralph changes the perspective on his phone camera.

Initial jail stay
At 8:23 PM later that day, Chris was booked into Henrico County Jail West and held without bail. On 2 August 2021, the Charlottesville CBS affiliate, CBS 19, reported on the case, following the release of a press release from the Greene County Sheriff's Department indicating that Chris had been moved to Central Virginia Regional Jail, which serves several rural counties including Greene County.

Calls to the Sheriff's Office confirmed that Chris was being held on a charge of incest. Notably, the charge against Chris is listed on the Henrico Sheriff's Office website as "incest with own child or grandchild", presumably shorthand for the full crime code which is defined as "With own or step child or grandchild, father, mother, etc. (incest)"

The record for Chris's custody status initially labelled him as female due to him having legally changed the gender marker on his driver's license in 2016. It was claimed by sensationalist media that Chris would be housed in a female jail, though this was not confirmed by official sources. The custody status record was updated to list Chris as male without explanation and he was placed in a corresponding facility. It is noted that transgender inmates in Virginia are usually only placed in the prison of their identified gender if they have received sex-change surgery, which Chris has not. On 7 August 2021, conservative media host briefly talked about the discourse in a  segment, exposing millions of retired, right-wing boomers to Chris for the first time.

Many observers predicted Chris would not take to an extended jail stay well. However, on August 5, the jail's Captain Hoffman told news, "I've had an interaction with inmate Chandler and it's been fine. Everything is okay." This surprising revelation could be explained by a letter Chris sent from jail in early November, which strongly implies that he has been placed in some form of protective custody to ensure his safety. A previous letter he sent in early October confirms that he is being fed well and that he has been able to purchase minor luxuries from the jail's commissary including playing cards, earplugs and a sports bra.

First court appearance
On 4 August 2021, Kenneth Sneathern, a judge from Greene County's General District Court, assigned David Heilberg to represent Chris, and also transferred the case to Greene's J&DR (Juvenile and Domestic Relations) court for bond.

During the hearing, Chris requested feminine pronouns be used for himself due to being transgender.

Second court appearance
On 5 August 2021, Chris appeared before Greene County's J&DR court for the beginning of his arraignment, represented by Charlottesville public defender David Heilberg.

Edwin Consolvo, the attorney representing Greene County, asked presiding judge David M. Barredo to deny Chris bond out of concern for "the community's safety and Ms. Chandler's safety," pointing out that "it’s clear that people sought out where Chandler was staying at a hotel in Henrico and videotaped her arrest." Chris interrupted by loudly saying, "I'm famous on the internet," to which Heilberg advised him not to speak unless spoken to by the court.

Chris was sworn in to state his case for bond, but instead demanded to be allowed to pick up personal possessions first, saying he would be "willing to proceed with everything if I can get that done."

Judge Barredo pointed out that bond considerations involve whether a defendant is a flight risk and whether the defendant is a danger to himself, his family, or community. Chris interrupted to say, "she", in reference to his transgender identity; Barredo responded he was reciting from the state statute.

Barredo ordered Chris to be held without bond until the preliminary trial on 16 September, listing as reasons the nature of the allegations against Chris and that there appears to be a personal danger to Chris and the public at large. While Heilberg was informing the judge that he sought "evaluations" of Chris, Chris interrupted his own attorney by loudly stomping on the floor and demanding "to get everything back home," claiming "I won't feel safe proceeding" until he could get the items back.

Judging by Chris's behavior, it can be inferred that Chris either did not fully understand or care about the seriousness of his charges and the possible consequences, or that he still expected to be saved by the Dimensional Merge.

On 9 August 2021, Newsweek posted an article on the case, quoting Heilberg, who said that his client was "legally disabled with mental health issues," and called Chris's online antics "a product of mental health issues causing misguided attention seeking and often provocative engagement with others."

Continuance and first letter from jail
Chris's next court appearance was to begin 16 September 2021, but got a continuance before the hearing was even set to commence due to the defense requesting more time to evaluate Chris's mental health, giving him a brief respite.

Three days later, Chris penned a bizarre letter directed to Null and defense lawyer David Heilberg, in which he ranted at Null for turning his back on Chris, and claimed to be Jesus Christ reincarnated, among other equally batshit statements.

More communications from jail
In additional correspondences from jail, Chris provides brief updates on his current experiences and conditions in jail. He would also continue to double down on his delusions, threaten any weens to not steal things from his house, beg for money for both himself and Barbara, and demand his release from jail. In one of these letters Chris rejects a fan's attempt to convert him to Islam. As with his previous replies, he draws offensive comparisons between himself and Allah, and rants more about the Dimensional Merge.

Chris has also called several people while in jail using the inmate telephone service, although, what Chris says in these calls is not much different from what can be found inside the letters. However, in one of the calls, Chris states that he has attempted to call Barbara multiple times, only to receive no answer from her.

Third court appearance
Chris's second court appearance was scheduled for the 18 November 2021. Several fans attempted to attend this hearing, but were turned away by courthouse staff, as the hearing was closed at the request of Chris's lawyer.

Another continuance was granted, with the next hearing taking place after the new year, on 3 February 2022. Chris spent the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years holidays behind bars.

The 3 February hearing was also closed to the public and resulted in another continuance. As a result, Chris spent his 40th birthday incarcerated and missed out on BABSCon in April.

Transfer


On 28 February 2022, the Virginia VINE Service confirmed that Chris had been transferred to another location from Central Virginia Regional Jail.

Chris eventually confirmed he had been sent to Western State Hospital. This was due to a competency evaluation following his third hearing, so he could be "educated" on court proceedings for his July hearing. Someone claiming to work for an EMS later private messaged the CWCki Jerkop Larry the Larryhog about Chris's record. They claimed that Chris was transferred via ambulance with a law enforcement escort and that Chris was able to receive narcotic sedative when needed (though the claims are yet to be verified). A Kiwi Farms member claimed that Chris may have been brought to Western State Hospital, which specializes in mental disorders, and this was eventually confirmed by Jail Letter - 1 June 2022, in which Chris revealed details indicating Western State Hospital.

Second Transfer
Chris was transferred back to the Central Virginia Regional Jail on 3 May 2022. A mugshot that was taken after the transfer, the first photo of him since August 2021, shows Chris noticeably thinner, with longer hair, more sunken-in eyes, and looking much more gaunt and less enthusiastic than he did previously. This was apparently due to a pin-me-down event occurring the day before while at Western State Hospital.

Notably, in Jail Letter - 11 May 2022, Chris began denying he had ever engaged in any sexual affairs with Barb (despite previously stating he had in the Incest Call and Incest Texts), even claiming in a subsequent letter that Bella confessed to fabricating information during the call without any clarification whatsoever.

Fourth court appearance and Grand Jury
Chris's fourth court hearing was scheduled for 10:00AM EDT on 28 July 2022 as revealed by a call from an anonymous Discord user to the Greene County Juvenile and Domestic Relations court. It has to be noted that the courthouse gave this information freely and without asking any further questions about the inquiry.

As a result of the hearing, Chris's case was transferred out of the J&DR court and to the Circuit Court. It was sent to a grand jury for a potential felony incest charge.

Fans such as Kiwi Farms users and Kenneth Engelhardt called the court clerk who informed them of the grand jury move. It was confirmed by court records.

"I just called the Clerk of Court for Greene County regarding CWC. Yes it is verified this is going before a grand jury on felony charges."

- Kenneth

Deferred disposition and sealing of case
On 5 August 2022, David Heilberg filed a motion for an autism disorder deferred disposition. The grand jury hearing, which was scheduled to occur on 8 August, was instead continued. A motion hearing is due to take place on 9 August. A caller had asked the court about Chris's records, to which they revealed them being sealed due to overwhelming public interest of the case. David Heilberg had also confirmed this in a response to an email, explaining that the case was sealed so that potential jurors in Greene County would not be unduly prejudiced in the event of Chris's case going to trial:

"Depasquale" refers to the 1978 Supreme Court case Gannett Company, Inc. v. DePasquale, which held that prohibiting the public from attending pre-trial proceedings in criminal cases is a legitimate method to minimize prejudicial publicity.

An autism deferred disposition refers to a Virginia law passed in 2020 which could result in a deference of further court proceedings with the defendant placed on probation terms set by the court, and could also result in the charge being dismissed, if the defendent completes certain criteria set by a judge before a review of their case.

Case reviews
Chris's case is currently set for review by the court on both 7 March 2023 and 8 August 2023.

Originally, during August 2022, only a single review was scheduled for 8 August 2023. However, in January 2023, another review was scheduled for 27 January. At that review, the case was continued to 14 February 2023, but was later moved a day early to 13 February on 8 February. That review was then continued to 7 March. The 7 March review was also continued.

Additional letters
On 30 January 2023, two further letters appeared in Chris' court record: one by Allyson K. Tysinger, Senior Assistant Attorney General at Office of the Attorney General, who specialises in mental health law, and another by Gateway Homes, a non-profit organization that provides mental health services in a residential setting in Chesterfield County. This would seem to make it very likely that the wheels are in motion for Chris to be released into a group home situation.

Praetor interview
According to a March 2023 interview with Praetor, Chris is still in contact with the group, apparently still receives the monthly tugboat, does not receive visitors in jail, and has grown a beard while in custody due to shaving restrictions.

Bonded out or Released by court order
On 27 March 2023, Chris was reported by VineLink as out of custody. A new mugshot was taken by jail staff and provided to VineLink. The reason for Chris being out of custody is unclear. At first VineLink reported that he was "bonded out". Nearly four hours later, the record was changed from "Bonded out" to "Released by court order".

Charge
Chris's case number is CR22000141-00 and the offense is 18.2-366 (written in the software as "Incest w/own child"), a Class 5 felony.

Court proceedings (J&DR Court)
The court record notes, "Case is certified to the grand jury - See Circuit Court case information."

Court proceedings (Circuit Court)
On 29 July 2022, Greene County Circuit Court posted information relating to Chris's case. The information also provides official confirmation that Chris had been sent to Western State Hospital earlier in the year. Chris was also evaluated by "ILPPP", the University of Virginia's Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy.

Case Details
Case Number: CR22000141-00

Filed: 07/29/2022

Commenced by: Indictment

Locality: COMMONWEALTH OF VA

Defendant: CHANDLER, CHRISTINE

Sex: Male

Race: White

DOB: 02/24/****

Address: RUCKERSVILLE, VA 22968

Charge: INCEST W/ OWN CHILD

Code Section: 18.2-366

Charge Type: Felony

Class: 5 Offense Date: 07/01/2021

Arrest Date: 08/01/2021

Pleadings/Orders Detail
Note that the dates of 7/29 aren't accurately reflected, as the records weren't added to the system until July 29.

Court staff have censored information three times on their website appearing under the Remarks section; the information has been archived below.