An apparent Valentine's Day prank in a University of Houston classroom earlier this year has led to criminal trespassing charges being filed against a pair of popular personalities on social media.
Houston resident JiDon Adams and Damilola Onakoya of Georgia, who both are 22 years old and have large followings on their YouTube channels, are accused of disrupting a UH class on Feb. 13 and refusing to leave at the request of the professor leading the class, according to a probable cause affidavit filed earlier this month in Harris County court. They allegedly were two of five people who walked into a Farish Hall classroom with video cameras and staged a scene in which Onakoya tried to give Valentine's gifts to the professor, sparking a faux argument with Adams, who later asked the professor to call security on a deaf student who had been signing to an interpreter during the incident, court documents show.
A video of the encounter was later posted to YouTube by Onakoya, who goes by "Damii" online, with the title, "My Professor Rejected Me! Ft. JiDion," a reference to Adams' online pseudonym, according to court documents. The video appears to have been removed from YouTube, although parts of it can still be found on that platform and elsewhere online.
The University of Houston said in a statement that the Harris County District Attorney's Office, on behalf of the university's police department, issued arrest warrants for Adams and Onakoya, who face misdemeanor charges. Neither had been arrested as of Thursday, court records show.
"Neither individual has ever been a UH student," the university said in its statement. "Such distractions negatively impact students' learning experiences and can be very distressing for our campus community. Anyone who violates university policy or the law while on campus will be held accountable to the fullest extent possible."
Attorneys for Adams and Onakoya were not listed in the court records for their cases as of Thursday. Onakoya declined to comment when contacted Thursday. Adams did not immediately respond to a message sent to his Twitter account, where he addressed the matter in recent days.
All cause I was Ft in this vid😠pic.twitter.com/pXa9j5FCDe
— LiDion (@Jidion6) April 10, 2023
Adams tweeted Monday, "I just got a call that I have a warrant for my arrest in houston," and then said in a reply to that tweet, "All cause I was Ft in this vid," showing a screenshot of what appears to be the original YouTube post.
Adams has more than 657,000 followers on Twitter and more than 6.9 million subscribers on YouTube. Onakoya's YouTube channel has more than 67,000 subscribers.
According to court documents, Adams is alleged to have entered the UH classroom first and was followed by two other people carrying handheld cameras. Onakoya allegedly walked in afterward while carrying balloons, flowers and a stuffed animal in the form of a gray bear before he "professed his love" for the female class instructor and said she helped him "cheat on tests," court documents show.
Adams then allegedly approached the lectern and began talking about the professor to Onakoya, who allegedly then told Adams to "stop c—blocking," according to the probable cause affidavit. The professor responded by calling them out for using foul language and telling Adams and Onakoya they had to leave, adding that she was calling the university police department as well, court documents show.
Adams and Onakoya allegedly did not leave the classroom at that time, with Adams later telling the professor to call security on a deaf student in the class who was "throwing up gang signs," according to court documents, which show the professor responded by saying an interpreter for the deaf student signs "danger" when an abnormal event occurs.
While the professor was outside of the classroom trying to call police, Onakoya allegedly distributed the balloons, flowers and stuff animal to students who were in the class, court records show.
The probable cause affidavit also alleges that Adams posted a video of himself receiving a haircut in Agnes Arnold Auditorium, another building on the UH campus, in October 2021.
Adams was previously charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing in Harris County in November 2021 and March of this year, although both charges were dismissed, court records show.
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