A Concord District Court judge placed John Grace on six months of pretrial probation Monday, Oct. 19, putting his criminal case over signs criticizing schools Superintendent Laurie Hunter on hold.
Defense attorney George King said the charge would be dismissed if Grace commits no new offenses and follows the harassment prevention order Hunter holds against him, The Concord Bridge reported.
Judge Lynn Brendemuehl approved the arrangement, which requires no admission of guilt. The case remains pending during the probation period.
King described the outcome as vindication of his argument that the displays amounted to protected political expression. The probation disposition does not itself establish a court ruling on that constitutional question.
King also told The Bridge that he is continuing appeals challenging Hunter’s harassment prevention order and the denial of a special motion to dismiss the criminal charge.
How the case began
Police arrested Grace on Nov. 25, 2025, and charged him with one misdemeanor count of violating the harassment prevention order.
The investigation followed the appearance of makeshift scarecrows and signs around Concord that called for Hunter’s removal. Some carried the message “Fire Liar Hunter.” Another included the phrase “The hatchet for Hunter,” according to the Bridge’s report on Grace’s arraignment.
Investigators said a fingerprint recovered from signs on Nov. 11 linked Grace to the displays. At his arraignment, Grace declined to confirm or deny placing them.
Hunter told police the displays caused her to fear for her safety. Police records described additional patrols near schools and officers accompanying her to and from her offices. King argued that the language sought her dismissal from office rather than threatening violence.
Grace previously faced a charge of threatening to commit a crime stemming from messages he allegedly left for Hunter in 2022. A jury acquitted him in May 2024.
Conditions remain in place
Grace must comply with the harassment prevention order while the criminal proceedings are paused. Massachusetts court rules distinguish pretrial probation from probation imposed after a conviction: it occurs before trial or an accepted guilty plea or admission to sufficient facts.
King said successful completion of the six-month period would bring dismissal. His challenges to the underlying order and the earlier dismissal ruling remain separate matters.
A district spokesperson declined to comment on Hunter’s behalf, and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office had not responded to The Bridge’s questions when its report was published.
