Orleans, Massachusetts – Braden Peters, a 20‑year‑old social‑media personality known online as “Clavicular,” walked into the Orleans District Court on Thursday with a loudly barking dog on a leash. Peters, who has built a following of more than one million Instagram users by rating people’s looks and offering advice on surgery and fitness, entered a not‑guilty plea to charges stemming from an alleged rape that took place in 2025 at his family’s Cape Cod home.
Charges and bail
The court clerk confirmed that Peters posted $10,000 bail for the case. The alleged victim, a 17‑year‑old, reportedly contacted Peters online seeking to create content together. According to earlier Fox News Digital reporting, Peters arranged for an Uber to pick her up and bring her to his house, where he allegedly served her alcohol until she was unable to consent to sexual activity.
Legal defense and bail request
Peters’ attorney, David Meier, filed a memorandum asking the court to release his client on cash bail, arguing that Peters is neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community. The memorandum offered to surrender Peters’ passport and to impose a no‑contact order with the alleged victim. Meier stated that Peters “categorically denies these allegations.” He also noted that the accusations surfaced in June 2026 when the complainant and her Florida attorney appeared together at the Chatham Police Department shortly before filing an amended civil lawsuit seeking monetary damages.
Dog as a support mechanism
Former criminal‑defense attorney and Fox News contributor Ted Williams said that bringing a dog to a courtroom is not necessarily unusual. “I don’t think it’s really out of the ordinary for a defendant to show up at court and the dog is left outside on a leash at a specific location or left with a person,” Williams told Fox News Digital. He added that the animal could have served as a source of emotional support for Peters ahead of the arraignment. “There are people who are more attached to their dog than they are attached to a human being, believe it or not, and that may be just his support mechanism — the dog,” he said. Williams noted that allowing the dog inside the courtroom would be atypical, as courts generally prohibit animals.
Prior legal issues
This is not Peters’ first encounter with law enforcement. He was previously arrested in Kissimmee, Florida, on battery charges after a reported altercation between two women at an Airbnb property.
District Attorney response
The Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the pending case.
The case remains under investigation, and further court dates have not been scheduled.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
