Jose “Chille” DeCastro is an aging man in his late 40’s. He’s approaching his 50’s and made the decision not to hide his graying temples. He, instead, charmingly shows off how the colors of his dog Charlie, an aging rescue pup he picked up in mid-2022, match his rapidly changing hair color.
As he ages, essentially homeless, traveling the country in a borrowed van, crowd sourcing for simple things like a hair cut or a photo from a street vendor, DeCastro hasn’t lost his passions. He claims he is an alpha, a leader, THE leader the world needs at the moment. Pledging his alphaness to help with cause after case, and claiming that only he, he alone, only Chille, the one and only Chille, can bring salvation.
Last year DeCastro pledged to help former Ironton, Ohio, police officer Beth Rist promote her book, an exposé of her experiences on the police force of Ironton. He promised to make her cause célèbre, with her book bringing real change – prompted by his leadership if only she’d believe in him and follow his path.
On Friday, January 27, 2023, Beth appeared on a YouTube channel best known for its focus on the world of the psychic, with two viewers watching the live premiere and viewership reduce to a single person (this reporter) towards the second half of the video’s 30-minute run time. Beth was promoting her book signing set for 3 PM on February 22, 2023, at the Briggs Lawrence County Public Library in Ironton, Ohio. DeCastro is not expected to attend.
On the video, Beth seems sincere as she updated the parts of her story not covered by her previous appearance on the YouTube channel. Recounting her struggles as a member of the LGBTQ community serving on the police force in small town America, she says that her publisher has put out feelers to Hollywood in order to turn her story into a movie. She told the host of video that she’s hoping that if the story is picked up by a major studio she can spend the rest of her retirement years in a place outside of Ironton, Ohio.
The YouTuber known as Ironton Auditor owes his start to Jose “Chille” DeCastro, at least in DeCastro’s version of the story. Known for live streams driving around the area around Ironton where he honestly looks to help others, his very public break up from DeCastro’s cause last year has put him at odds with those in the area that still openly believe in DeCastro, even after DeCastro skipped town last year once he retrieved his phone after an arrest in Ironton.
Ironton Auditor has ties Beth Rist and to YouTuber Tina Slay and the YouTubers collectively known as Jeebus Crisp, who all have ties with Officer Chad Gue of the Ironton Police force. Gue accepted DeCastro’s “cage match” challenge last year, daring to stand up to the alpha of alphas, the 5’7” tower of power, training to get into the best shape of his life… only to see DeCastro back out at the last moment due to an injury. DeCastro still claims, months later, that he could easily defeat Gue in the match but has taken no steps to back his words with real action.
DeCastro still has ties in the Ironton area, even though he skipped town. One person from the area told this reporter privately that DeCastro’s rock star personality and the attention he can draw are almost unbelievable to those who grew up in a small town such as Ironton. People who are looking for honest reform or just for someone to listen to their needs are impressed with his charisma, his charm, and the fact that this guy from Hollywood, a real actor with real credits is taking time to listen to their stories.
Hope is powerful. In a city like Ironton, known to the rest of the world for wide-spread depression and economic despair, having someone listen to your story and promise you hope is more powerful than anything imaginable. Always the alpha, DeCastro recently disclosed that he is still in contact with teens from the area, who he claims serve as his “eyes and ears” and bring news and gossip to his live streams.
Over the last month, DeCastro has embraced the cause of the family of Jacqueline “Laney” Hudson, a teenager who was killed shortly before the new year in nearby Huntington, West Virginia, in a traffic accident involving an off-duty police officer. Like everyone else mentioned before, her family embraced Jose “Chille” DeCastro’s help as he seemed honest in his promise of hope. He listened to their story, he promised vengeance against the police and would bring justice to the officer involved in the accident that took the life of their daughter.
DeCastro recently skipped a rally put on by the family, perhaps spooked by news from last weekend that his alleged online activities in promoting the family’s cause online to teenagers sparked a report to the FBI. He would later return to promoting their cause later in the week, by putting on an embarrassing live stream presentation that was marred by DeCastro’s inability figure out how to play audio from clips he wants to showcase in the audio mix of his live stream broadcasts.
The presentation featured two videos provided by Hudson’s family of their encounter with police at a planned protest at a police building in early January. DeCastro spoke over the videos and at one point alarmed viewers who thought he was having a stroke as he silently and dramatically mimicked a police officer’s hand gestures. The family later resorted to releasing the videos themselves on Facebook and YouTube.
DeCastro turned his attention away from their cause by midweek, after apparently hearing a rumor that a police officer in Ironton had resigned. A simple check of news reports would have shown that the resignation came from officer from nearby Coral Grove who resigned after holding an unauthorized party in a government building. DeCastro apparently did not check his information and attacked Ironton police officer Chad Gue on his YouTube community page. He promised to expose Gue if Gue did not admit that he was fired/suspended from the force and that his wife had left him due to spousal abuse within the next 24-hours.
In the 36 hours that have followed, there have been denials of DeCastro’s accusations from the Ironton police chief, Chad Gue, Chad Gue’s wife, those around Gue and anyone who read the actual news story in the Ironton Tribune. DeCastro has not retracted his statements nor followed up on his threats as of press-time.
Instead, DeCastro has embraced three new causes: filing a lawsuit to prevent the city of Atlanta from building the “Cop City” police training facility, promising justice for Jason Dollarhide, a YouTuber whose encounter with police at a lake in Norman, Oklahoma, was featured on one of DeCastro’s multiple live streams on Friday, and seeking justice for the family of Tyre Nichols, a Memphis man who died after being beaten by police officers who claimed he was resisting arrest.
DeCastro was also challenged to a fight by YouTuber Uncle Arty of Uncle Arty’s Bar and Grill of Stupidity. Arty, a disabled vet, was outraged at DeCastro’s recent claims against Gue and insults directed at Tina Slay. The YouTuber challenged DeCastro to a fight within the Ironton city limits next weekend. DeCastro, who has multiple warrants for his arrest in Ohio, is not expected to accept Arty’s challenge.
As the week winds down, DeCastro is safely away from Atlanta, Memphis and even Ironton. Occasionally sleeping on the rolled-up mattress in the back of his borrowed van with Charlie at his side, DeCastro has established a life in which he promises hope to those in need. Loudly approaching his 50s and supported by a small, but diminishing, number of loyal followers we’ll see how far hope can carry him, especially when promised hope has left a trail of disappointment in his path.
