Sitting in a Seattle city courtroom on Monday, the man known as the “Belltown Hellcat” Miles Hudson was quieter than he has been at previous hearings. For the first time, the 21-year-old did not try to hide from media cameras by wearing a scarf or balaclava, but left his face uncovered as Judge Seth Niesen ruled that he had violated a court order not to post content on his social media accounts on Instagram and Twitch.
That order came under fire last week from 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 denied that request and prosecutors’ request to issue a $25,000 arrest warrant for violating the court order.
“It is clear to the court that the defendant’s attempts to become famous on the internet are the driving force behind his alleged criminal conduct,” Judge Niesen said. “Therefore, the court’s narrow order restricting rights as part of a pretrial release condition serves a significant government interest in preventing the defendant both from committing a violent crime and from interfering with the administration of justice.”
Previous coverage of Belltown Hellcat: Belltown Hellcat again wanted for violating social media content ban
In the end, it was Hudson’s creation of a second Instagram account called “alone.miles” that won Niesen over. He said the second account appeared to be another attempt by Hudson to circumvent a court order. The first, prosecutors said, came about when Hudson purchased new license plates for his modified Dodge Challenger SRT “Hellcat” after a court order obtained by Niesen identified the vehicle using its original license plates. That order has since been changed to include the vehicle’s VIN.
Background information on Belltown Hellcat
Hudson first gained internet notoriety when he posted videos of himself driving his modified Dodge fast and loudly through the Belltown neighborhood late at night.
In May, the Seattle District Attorney charged Hudson with two counts of reckless driving and ordered him to replace his car’s illegal exhaust system with the original exhaust system.
In July, during a hearing on an ongoing domestic violence case in district court, Niesen ordered Hudson to refrain from posting any content related to either case on his social media accounts, including his Instagram account, @srt.miles.
Prosecutors said several informants sent them screenshots of Hudson’s social media accounts, claiming they violated the court order. In one of those screenshots, a person can be seen wearing some sort of ankle bracelet and holding a keychain that looks exactly like the “Hellcat” keychain Hudson has shared in previous social media posts. Hudson’s recent release on bail also included having to wear an ankle bracelet at all times. According to court documents, Hudson posted the photo and other content using Instagram’s “story” feature, which means the content disappears after 24 hours.
In addition, prosecutors alleged that Hudson created a TikTok account called “srt.miles” and that under his new name “not.srtmiles,” he was selling subscriber-only content for $9.99 a month that included access to exclusive behind-the-scenes content and an “Ask Me Anything” option.
More legal problems for Belltown Hellcat
Hudson also faces a $25,000 warrant issued by the Renton City Attorney’s Office, which says Hudson failed to appear for a hearing last week related to an altercation with his mother in 2023. According to court records, Hudson pleaded guilty to throwing his mother to the ground after she refused to make him coffee. He was sentenced to one year in prison, but instead a judge suspended that sentence as long as he agreed not to 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 about the Belltown Hellcat: Court sets new bail for ‘Belltown Hellcat’ as he faces stalking charges
In Seattle, Hudson faces two counts of reckless driving as well as stalking and harassment in connection with an ex-girlfriend. According to court documents, Hudson showed up at his ex’s workplace and harassed her in front of her coworkers. When the woman left, Hudson followed her home and continued to call and text her, prosecutors said. Niesen ordered the $5,000 bail in that case to be forfeited and set a new bail of $15,000 on Monday.
Before Hudson was taken into custody, Niesen spoke directly to Hudson and warned him not to try to evade his orders again.
“If you show up in court with a second offense, that’s 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 follow my orders.”
Luke Duecy is a reporter for KIRO Newsradio.
