Draft:The Hidden Chapter Bookstore controversy

• Comment: In preparing this draft, I disclose that AI assistance was used as follows: I used AI to review what was wrote so nothing sounded partial Brow1044 (talk) 23:29, 4 October 2026 (UTC)

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The Hidden Chapter Bookstore controversy

The Hidden Chapter Bookstore controversy refers to public allegations and disputes involving The Hidden Chapter Bookstore, an independent bookstore and café in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, and its co-owners David Mulcahy, a former Kentucky educator.

The controversy became public in August 2026 after Mulcahy's daughter, Ireland Mulcahy, published allegations concerning her father's conduct toward her and referenced allegations involving his former work as a teacher. The allegations received coverage from regional news organizations including WCPO and The Cincinnati Enquirer. Mulcahy denied the allegations and described his daughter's statements as false and defamatory.

Background

The Hidden Chapter Bookstore opened in Fort Thomas in October 2023. The business was founded and is owned by David and Lacey Mulcahy. The bookstore is located at 118 N. Fort Thomas Avenue and later added a café. In February 2026, the bookstore hosted an event organized in partnership with Northern Kentucky University's Loch Norse Creative Writing Society.

David Mulcahy previously worked as a teacher in Kentucky. Before working for Kenton County Schools, he taught in Grant County and in Ohio school districts.

Allegations involving Mulcahy's teaching career

In 2019, while Mulcahy was teaching at Grant County Middle School, a student reported seeing him hug a female student and touch her buttocks in between classes. A police report with the Grant County Police dept. described the matter as a possible inappropriate touch involving a student. The school conducted an internal investigation, and David Mulcahy was required to complete training concerning professional boundaries, sexual misconduct and mandatory child-abuse reporting. The police investigation did not result in criminal charges due to withdrawal of the allegation from the student.

An employee evaluation of David Mulcahy's performance in 2021 recommended dismissal or non-renewal, and his contract with Grant County Schools was not renewed. He later obtained a teaching position with Kenton County Schools at Turkey Foot Middle School.

In January 2023, two female students at Turkey Foot reported allegations of inappropriate touching involving David Mulcahy. A third student made a similar complaint. The allegations were reported to law enforcement and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. According to records reviewed by The Cincinnati Enquirer, the allegations included claims involving touching of students' hands, shoulders and backs, as well as an allegation involving a student's inner thigh. David Mulcahy denied inappropriate touching and said that his physical contact with students consisted of hugs.

The Kenton County School District then took disciplinary action against David Mulcahy. WCPO reported that an April 2023 disciplinary letter referenced a "Substantiated Investigation Notification Letter" from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and stated that Mulcahy had violated district policies concerning professional ethics, student health and safety, sexually related behavior with students, unwanted touching or sexual advances, Title IX sexual harassment, disruption of the educational process and employee judgment. The district ordered his termination and reported the matter to the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board.

The administrative history was then contested. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that David Mulcahy appealed the Cabinet's substantiation and that state officials reversed that determination in March 2024. The newspaper reported that the letter reversing the determination did not explain why the original finding was overturned.

Separately, the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board considered an educator-misconduct matter involving Mulcahy. At its July 29, 2024 meeting, the EPSB accepted an agreed order providing that Mulcahy's teaching certificate was voluntarily surrendered and that he could not apply for or receive a Kentucky teaching, administrative or emergency certificate for the remainder of his lifetime.

Mulcahy has denied wrongdoing. He told The Cincinnati Enquirer that he never abused children, that his physical contact with students did not go beyond hugs and that the investigations ultimately ended without evidence of a criminal offense. WCPO similarly reported that he denied the allegations and said that no criminal charges were filed.

Civil lawsuit

In July 2023, a former Turkey Foot Middle School student's family filed a civil lawsuit naming David Mulcahy, Kenton County Superintendent Henry Webb and former Turkey Foot principal Holly Spritzky.

The lawsuit alleges that David Mulcahy sexually harassed and assaulted a student and engaged in inappropriate physical contact. The allegations are contained in a civil complaint and have not been established as facts at trial. Mulcahy denied criminal conduct.

In 2026, a Kenton Circuit Court judge granted summary judgment to Henry Webb and Holly Spritzky based on governmental or qualified immunity. The former student's family appealed the ruling concerning, Holly Spritzky. WCPO reported that the court filings did not indicate that the claims against David Mulcahy had been dismissed. The court case remains ongoing at this point.

Ireland Mulcahy's August 2026 statements

On August 14, 2026, Ireland Mulcahy published a lengthy Facebook post concerning her father. She accused him of emotional and verbal abuse and of sexually inappropriate behavior and also referred to allegations involving his former students.

Ireland told The Cincinnati Enquirer that she made the post after seeing young girls and women discussing or praising The Hidden Chapter Bookstore on social media. She said she wanted to share her own experiences and raise awareness of the allegations involving her father.

WCPO reported that the post generated hundreds of comments, messages and shares and that people subsequently contacted Ireland with allegations concerning her father. WCPO also noted that the allegations made by Ireland had not been proven in court and that David Mulcahy had not been criminally charged in connection with them.

Ireland acknowledged to WCPO that she was not present for the school investigations and said that her knowledge of those matters came from records and conversations with others. She distinguished those matters from her own experiences growing up with her father.

Ireland Mulcahy's Post:

"Hi everyone, if you know anyone who been has supporting The Hidden Chapter Bookstore in Ft. Thomas, KY, please share this information with others and anyone who supports this business.

The owners of this bookstore are Dave Mulcahy and Lacey Mulcahy. Dave is my biological father who I have had zero contact with in 6 years. I’ve watched him abuse women my whole life, abuse me emotionally and verbally, behave sexually inappropriately around me/towards me, physically intimidate or grab me, and display appalling behavior towards young girls.

Dave used to work for Grant County Schools and Turkeyfoot as a middle school teacher. Multiple female students at both schools accused him of sexual misconduct, grooming, and further inappropriate behavior. The girls reported this to school counselors and the principal. He resigned from the school during the investigation. To my knowledge, this court case is still ongoing within Kenton County. While he tells people he was cleared, I can attest from my personal experience as his daughter, growing up in his house, he should not be around children or young women.

The first time my dad hurt me physically, I was 10 years old and he grabbed my jaw until it left bruises. For years, he would lift me up by my collar, scream until I cried, destroy everything around me while I begged him to stop, and when I could finally get myself to stop crying, he’d ask me if I was scared of him yet. My dad would try to include me in sexual conversations regarding his own intimate relationships with women. My dad was more sexually inappropriate with me than I’m willing to share, but I’ve first hand seen the way he treats women like sexual objects and then berates them when they aren’t appealing to him anymore. Dave Mulcahy has been hiring young women at his bookstore, preying on them, and then abusing them. I truly believe my father is a danger to women.

Lacey Mulcahy was introduced to my dad during their time at Grant County Schools, where she was brought in as the other woman- which led to the divorce of my dad’s previous marriage. Lacey was in the home for a portion of my dad’s abuse towards me, where she’d go to her bedroom, shut the door, and ignore my father’s blind rage daily. Lacey Mulcahy is not a woman that will defend a victim of abuse. She is enabling a cheating, manipulative, narcissistic man. Lacey Mulcahy is just as much as a sexual predator as Dave Mulcahy, as they prey on young women together.

People close to me are not aware of my situation. It’s very embarrassing for me and puts me in a vulnerable spot. However, I’ve been seeing multiple young women posting how much they love this new bookstore, moms bringing their daughters in, or high school aged girls getting their first job at this bookstore, and it terrifies me. I would never allow myself to be in a room alone with my own dad, and I am really hoping other women do not for their own safety. At minimum, I just want people to know exactly who they are supporting.

Again, this is extremely uncomfortable for me to share, but if you know anyone who has been going to The Hidden Chapter Bookstore, please share this info with them and stay safe."

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19pnjhoy6J/?mibextid=wwXlfr

Response from David and Lacey Mulcahy

David Mulcahy denied Ireland's allegations and described her Facebook post as false, slanderous and defamatory. He said that he had never behaved inappropriately toward his daughter and disputed the characterization of his conduct toward former students.

Lacey Mulcahy, David's wife and business partner, also denied the allegations. She told WCPO that the allegations were untrue and said that she intended to continue operating the bookstore.

The Hidden Chapter subsequently issued a public statement disputing Ireland's allegations and defending David and Lacey Mulcahy. The statement characterized the allegations involving David's former teaching career as resolved and disputed the interpretation of the school's disciplinary proceedings.

Then Friday October 2, 2026; a day before the scheduled protest, The Hidden Chapter Released this statement:

STATEMENT FROM THE HIDDEN CHAPTER

"Many of you are aware of allegations leveled by Dave’s estranged daughter, Ireland, accusing him of inappropriate behavior and attempting to link it to resolved false allegations raised while he was a teacher. We know it has been several weeks since Ireland’s initial Facebook post and prolonging a public response has likely garnered more doubt in some people’s minds. We did attempt to put statements out initially, but we were shut down by moderators who clearly decided to side with Ireland regardless of facts or the truth. In addition, we never wanted to deal with private family issues in such a public manner. Although we are disappointed in Ireland’s behavior, we do not have any desire to, and are uncomfortable with, publicly attacking someone we have loved despite their issues. It has been difficult to know the right way to handle the situation.

As survivors of abuse ourselves, we are empathetic to anyone who has survived or is enduring abuse of any type. To be explicitly clear, the accusations of abuse against us are not true. We have not harmed our estranged daughter. Our other children (who have grown up in our home and in this bookstore) can speak to the love, care, and safety they have always known. This situation has been devastating for them and for us. We will address Ireland’s issues as best we can below. We ask you to recognize, however, that we are reserving certain private details we deem inappropriate for a parent to use against their child (estranged or not) in a public forum, even if these private details would illuminate Ireland’s true character.

Ireland’s mother struggled with numerous issues, including an inability to provide a safe, stable environment in which to raise her daughter. Dave found himself in a position of repeatedly picking up his daughter from precarious circumstances. Dave pursued a prolonged custody fight for Ireland and was eventually granted primary guardianship by the courts.

Ireland did have challenges in her childhood and exhibited troubled behavior from an early age. These behaviors included oppositional defiance, self-destructive attention seeking behaviors, and cruelty towards her siblings. She was loved, nonetheless. Dave doted on his children equally. At one point, counselors informally suggested that she might be suffering from Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). RAD is a clinical condition where a young child fails to form healthy emotional attachments with primary caregivers due to neglect in the developmental stages of childhood. The symptoms of RADS were a match to Ireland’s behavioral issues, which included attention seeking behavior and lack of empathy for others. This was likely a function of her unsafe environments in her early development while under the care of her mother. (As a point of clarification -- Ireland left our home on her own volition before any of this could be formally diagnosed.)

Ireland’s issues magnified with puberty. Ages thirteen through sixteen were tumultuous years. Ireland was in the habit of behaving self-destructively and manipulatively lying to exercise free will. Dave attempted to enforce the appropriate standards of behavior, as any father would. Ireland chafed at the expectations. Eventually, while on a family trip to Universal Studios, an argument ensued regarding Ireland commenting multiple times that various older men were looking at her body. She called them perverts and predators; these men were just enjoying vacation with their family. The argument extended to appropriate dress in public, and concern regarding Ireland trying to look older. Ireland was fixated on seeking male attention while simultaneously complaining of the male gaze. Ireland arranged a flight (with assistance from her mother) to leave Universal on her own. She insisted on, and was given, a ride to the airport. Upon returning home at the end of the family vacation, Dave found her room empty. She has never been banned from our life, and no doors were shut on her.

Leveling accusations against men, both familiar and strangers, has become a reoccurring theme with her. She once asked her grandfather, to his mortification, to leave her volleyball game because she claimed he was staring at the female players inappropriately. It is also our understanding that she was banned from her boyfriend’s house by the young man’s mother because of similar accusations she made against the father. The boyfriend (by all accounts a fine young man) eventually suffered the same allegations after their eventual break-up.

We have been asked on numerous occasions why Ireland has chosen now to level her false allegations. We have not spoken to Ireland in five years as a matter of her choice. Her Grandfather, who had attempted to look out for her and was our primary means of keeping tabs on her, reported that she was upset at how well the store was doing and the positive social media posts the Hidden Chapter received. The timing of the attack also coincided with her sister’s departure for college. Ireland has exhibited a jealous rivalry with her sister, who has often been the object of her cruelty. We have been left to conclude that she could not abide that the family she abandoned was doing well; that her sister had something she no longer did. Her allegations are not difficult to pierce for anyone looking critically. She has contradicted herself repeatedly. The most notable example being her televised interview wherein she stated, “I got out before it could progress into something more…” A self-admission that nothing occurred, leaving her allegations at the level of innuendos.

Ireland likely had help from the media in crafting her allegations. We have two different indications that a story was being worked on by reporters and interns as much as a month prior to its release. The allegations relied on exploiting false accusations leveled at Dave while he was a teacher; accusations which misrepresented events through omission and outright misrepresentation. It is significant to note that these stories were worked on for that length of time, yet we were ambushed for statements an hour and half prior to their going live with their crafted hit pieces. We are addressing these issues with legal counsel. We will defend ourselves to the fullest legal extent on all fronts against any entity or individual which has maliciously slandered us.

The facts of Dave’s case while a teacher is as follows:

He had two incidents at two separate schools involving hugs with female students. The first hug was requested by the student. The second hug was involuntary on Dave’s part as he was hugged from the side while facing away from the student who approached him. Both hugs were public in the school hallways with observers present. One was on camera. These hugs were exploited to create allegations of inappropriate touching. In both cases Dave was absolved of any wrongdoing by school internal investigations. One set of parents attempted to turn it into a money grab and filed a civil suit against Dave and the School District. The court found no wrongdoing and the family has appealed (likely for the reason of seeking a nuisance settlement). The case has languished, but we are not concerned as to its ultimate outcome. In the second incident, the family requested a police investigation after being dissatisfied with the school’s findings. This triggered four Child Protective Service (CPS) investigations -- one for the county in which Dave taught, one for the county where we lived, and one each for counties in which we had joint custody of our children with ex-spouses. Our ex-spouses also launched custody disputes at the same time to exploit the situation. The net result of two school investigations, four CPS investigations, one police investigation and two-family court custody disputes was no criminal charges, no findings of wrongdoing, and no change in custody. In short, Dave was exonerated.

Dave has also been libeled online as it pertains to the status of his Teaching Certificate. People have inappropriately claimed that his teaching certificate was revoked. That is not true. No action was taken to revoke Dave’s teaching certificate as there was no wrongdoing. As part of the Kenton County Child Protective Service proceedings, we were offered a quicker resolution process if Dave voluntarily surrendered his teaching certificate. As we had already made the decision to leave teaching (we had no desire to ever again give anyone another chance to attack us through our public services) this was an easy option to exercise. We could have taken the longer path to preserve the certificate, but we were fatigued with the unfairness and constant burdens of the prolonged battle. Having already moved on from teaching and fully invested our savings into the bookstore, surrendering the teaching certification was an easy sacrifice to end the proceedings sooner. It is important to mention that relinquishment of the certification was requested by CPS after they could not find any evidence of wrongdoing. Though it has been presented on social media as a plea bargain pursued by Dave, this is simply not true.

We would like to take this opportunity to address our broader community – the people we know by name, the families we’ve watched grow, and the countless individuals who have made The Hidden Chapter a refuge of warmth and connection. We know many of you have felt the weight of this media storm and it has raised doubts for you. It pains us to see our community and friends affected. We are deeply sorry for the impact this private family matter has had on our beloved community. We have poured our hearts over these last several years into building The Hidden Chapter — a space meant to uplift, comfort, and bring people together. We have witnessed extraordinary kindness within these walls, shared in your celebrations, and worked hard to create a place that feels like home. To see false accusations overshadow years of dedication; to witness a beloved community space be threatened, has been heartbreaking. We fully recognize that we are not the only victims. You all have been robbed of a place you loved by the allegations. We empathize with your doubts. It is hard to navigate truth when it’s being misrepresented. We hope our good faith statement will help, and we always welcome your questions to address your concerns. We ask for your patience, kindness, and open-mindedness. Given time, we are confident that the truth will prevail.

Finally, we would like to address our supporters. We cannot express the depth of our gratitude for all of you who have stood by us with unwavering commitment and compassion. You have been our lifeline in the wake of the fight for our livelihood, as you continue to be even now. You have given us the strength to stay standing, to keep our bookstore open, and to weather this storm. Our bookstore has brought so many lives together, created so many bonds and memories. You all have made sure we never lost sight of that. Our closest friends welcomed us into their family and spent countless hours fighting for us. Others walked into our shop to express support or compassion, asked questions without rushing to conclusions, and chose to come back time and again. We can never repay these kindnesses. We can never match your humanity. But as long as we are here, we will try to repay your gifts in kind to all who walk through our door. When we opened our shop three years ago, our goal was to give experiences to our guests that would be remembered and re-lived for years to come. We wanted to bring people together with books and with community engagement. This is still our goal, and it would be impossible without you. We are forever grateful. Our children are forever grateful. Thank you."

https://facebook.com/share/p/1DYqGGUD1w/?mibextid=wwXlfr

Irelands and Mothers Response to the Hidden Chapter Bookstore Statement

Ireland and her mother, Amanda both released statements in regard to their statement.

Irelands statement on October 3, 2026 is as follows:

"Well, as some of you know the Hidden Chapter Bookstore put out a post about me. I’m in awe and cannot believe what I read. Additionally, I was blocked, so thank you to everyone who reached out so I could be aware of my personal life being put out in a manner I could not see. Here’s some of my initial takeaways, being the “estranged daughter” he has now coined me to be.

- I have a wonderful mother. My mom is the reason I’ve made it to where I am right now. Trying to blame your ex-wife for any parental issues I endured and avoiding the fact you groom children astounds me.

- I didn’t have behavioral issues with lying, manipulation, etc. I had an abusive father.

- He also mentions the prolonged custody battle but not the day he sent me a letter in the mail advising he signed away his custody rights. My mom never agreed to it hoping he would recover from his alcoholism. He never did, but he never reached out after I read this letter saying my dad did not want me anymore.

- That paragraph about RAD is not true. I have no idea where this came from. I was a kid in the Gifted & Talented program, academic team, and student council. I form connections with people just fine. I love my mom. I had a great relationship with my dad until he got divorced from his 2nd wife, began drinking, and abusing me.

- I did not make allegations against anyone else. I never asked my grandpa to leave a volleyball game. I really have no idea what he’s talking about. Speaking of which, this really saddens me. I love my grandpa. We have not spoken since I put my original post out. Him saying “this was our primary means of keeping tabs on her” makes me sick to my stomach and it’s just out there for public knowledge. I wanted a relationship with my grandpa without my dad having access to me. I will add my grandpa regularly told me I’m better off without my dad, he only drags people down, he’s only staying around for my sister, and he thinks my dad has issues too. However, my family wouldn’t drop him because of the “blood is thicker than water” mentality.

- I do not have a jealous rivalry with my sister. I love my sister. I’ve kept her name completely out of this because I care about her. She did go to college recently and I’m very proud of her. I hope college helps her escape from being under the thumb of my dad’s narcissism.

Essentially, my dad was a poor parent and is blaming everyone else to justify his decisions. This also translates into his predatory behavior against girls and how he justifies that too.

Let’s talk about the Universal Orlando story. My dad and I hadn’t spoken for a couple years, were trying to rekindle our relationship, and had been around each other for about 6 months before inviting me to Orlando.

At dinner, I said “I’m uncomfortable with the way men have been staring at me today. It’s weird they are checking out a 16 year old girl”. My dad said “you don’t look your age.” I say, “well I don’t look like I am in their age range. They should know better”. He begins to go into how it’s hard being a man in this day and age because girls look older than they are and purposefully try to tempt him. He starts giving out examples of times his students try to “tempt him at work” and how he feels like he “needs a camera in his classroom”. This conversation ended with him trying to drag my chair out of the restaurant, Lacey stopping him because “the chair belongs to the restaurant”, not because what he was doing was wrong. I have a panic attack in the restaurant restroom. We get the check and go outside. He backs me into the wall and says “apologize for saying I abused you. What goes on in my house stays in my house. Apologize for telling people I abused you”. I told him I wasn’t going to apologize. He raised his arm. I flinched. He said “Are you scared I’m going to hit you?”. I replied “I’m not scared of you, but I don’t trust you”. So no, he didn’t hit me in the middle of Universal Studios that day, but YES my mother bought a ticket for me to come. No, Lacey did not say a single word to stop my father’s tantrum. YES I moved out. YES I asked for a ride to the airport!! We drove there! We didn’t fly. It was a road trip. Yes that was the last time I spoke to my father.

To wrap this up, I did say I was able to get out before anything happened. I was in the beginning of stages of grooming. I’m going to post the screenshots here since they have their comments off. I am personally horrified knowing this is how my dad sees life and his decisions. I can’t understand.

Now that I feel like my childhood is plastered on the internet, tomorrow is the sidewalk protest in front of the store. This will be my first time being at the store, so truth be told, I am very nervous. Thankfully, there are many women coming to support! He can victim blame and justify all he wants, but every woman knows another woman who was victimized. I told the truth. It’s embarrassing to keep going back and forth with them online but court is coming up, so they will see their estranged daughter very soon!!

Thanks again to everyone who has been supportive. This was terrifying for me to read. I was nauseous writing this. It embarrasses me everyday but I am really excited to see everyone tomorrow.

Information on the sidewalk protest:

At the hidden chapter bookstore from 1-3pm during the Cincinnati book crawl"

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1QoA3Cnr5F/

Her mother's statement:

"To David …. As the mother of your *estranged* daughter, shame on you David. The lies that you have told, not only about Ireland but your other victims. Say what you want about me but I know the truth, your daughter knows the truth, your other daughter will see the truth eventually and the world is seeing your lies, manipulation and grotesque behavior. To even post something like this, as a father, shows what a narcissist POS you truly are. To say her story changes, it hasn’t changed in six years but yours does. You say you weren’t found guilty but are still in court over a little girls accusations.

Lacey, you weren’t even in my daughter’s life except to come over and make such loud bedroom noises that my child ended up with ear infections from sleeping with headphones in. You are a terrible woman and honestly, my heart hurts for you. What kind of vile person supports and encourages David’s behavior.

To Ireland, you are a beauty and a gem. You were such an easy, happy, caring kid. You aren’t broken! You are a force to reckon with. You are everything that is good from him and you have broken so many generational curses from that man. I know he has hurt you and continues to hurt you and I’m so sorry for all the pain he caused, but I wouldn’t have you without him so I have never regretted my past because I have you. I have loved all our moments together whether it was singing in the car together or dancing around your room. You are my greatest accomplishment and I couldn’t be more proud! I’m going to stop or I am going to cry but I love you so much.

To the world, here’s my statement. I was pregnant at 17 and married to David when I was a minor. I fell for a man who was charismatic and preyed on my young, dumb insecurities. I didn’t realize at such a young age that it was all a lie. I watched as he kissed a scared 14 year old girl when he was 20 years old. I’m sorry to that girl and I’m sorry I wasn’t brave enough to speak up about how wrong it was. That was the beginning of the downfall of our “playing house” marriage. We spent years trying to divorce and I was a young single mom trying to get my life together. David made me feel like an inadequate mother and eventually had his second child with an amazing woman who helped raise my daughter when she was at her dad’s. For clarity, this is not the same woman as his 2nd or 3rd wife but is remaining anonymous. Her and I both lived through him being physically abusive, bruises to the face, filed EPO charges that he eventually convinced everyone to drop. But she held everything together and Ireland was safe and happy and had a great relationship with her sister. He was a full time student at the time which went on for years, changing different jobs but I remember her calling around looking for him late at night because she couldn’t find David. That woman helped me raise Ireland and I couldn’t be more grateful. Eventually she left and David married his 2nd wife. I’m choosing to leave her story out of it but I believe their divorce broke David and he started drinking. Ireland became David’s main caretaker and put up with a lot that she never told me or David would dismiss it as “parenting”. He never had full custody and yes, we were in and out of the courts. When he said he has full custody, that was a lie. She was simply allowed to change schools, by the courts, from Conner to St Henry.

When Covid hit is when Ireland said she wanted to come home. She called me from Florida and told me how her dad was abusive in Florida and I bought her a plane ticket and I called him with an “emergency” on why she had to come home. Then came the mail, where he forfeited his parental rights because “she was telling too many family secrets”. His words.

Our intent is to protect the girls and woman who walk into that bookstore. To spread awareness that this bookstore is a hunting ground from David and Lacey, to prey on girls who are emotionally hurting and take advantage of them. Why is there a bed in the back of your bookstore David? You are a creep and a predator. There’s so much more but after this novel, if you made it this far, please share this post, Irelands posts, the protest posts, the Cincinnati enquirers story or even the WCPO new story that covered it. All are on Ireland Mulcahy’s Facebook page.

Join us tomorrow Saturday October 3rd from 1-3p out front of the bookstore, The Hidden Chapter to show support that fort Thomas, Campbell county, Kentucky, none of us want predators running a bookstore."

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Sw5VD8xVX/

Protest and public response

A protest was announced for October 3, 2026, outside The Hidden Chapter Bookstore in Fort Thomas. The protest followed the allegations made by Ireland Mulcahy and public discussion concerning the bookstore and its owners. A September 14 Reddit post announcing the gathering received substantial engagement on the Cincinnati subreddit.

The protest took place during the broader Cincinnati Book Crawl weekend. The bookstore was not listed as a participating destination of the Book Crawl, according to the protest announcement.

The controversy generated discussion across social-media platforms, including Facebook, Reddit and other social networks. Online comments included both support for Ireland Mulcahy and criticism or defense of the bookstore and its owners.

Social-media reactions should not be treated as independent verification of the underlying allegations. The primary independently reported sources concerning the allegations are the news investigations and official records cited elsewhere in this article.

October 2026 protest confrontation

During the October 3 protest, a confrontation occurred involving William "Bill" Hoover, a financial professional who serves as chair of the Haile College of Business Dean's Advisory Board at Northern Kentucky University.

Dean's Advisory Board: Northern Kentucky University, Greater Cincinnati Region

Video of the confrontation was subsequently circulated on social media. Accounts of the incident differed concerning the sequence of events and the individuals involved.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/19nmtW4aaB/?mibextid=wwXlfr

Because the incident was initially documented primarily through participant-generated social-media material, the article should not characterize the conduct as a particular criminal offense unless an independent reliable source or official record establishes that characterization.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1HzNQaY6FC/

Public reaction

The controversy received significant attention on social media following Ireland Mulcahy's August post and again surrounding the October protest.

The video went viral on Threads from the protest : This is William "Bill" Hoover, who is apparently a friend of the owners of The Hidden Chapter Bookstore, or, at the very least, feels very passionately about defending them. Today, he became extremely angry at a 19-year-old protester holding a sign that read, “Dead p3dophiles don’t reoffend.” He crossed the street, got within inches of her face, towered over her, and screamed at her about whether her sign was a threat.

The September 2026 protest announcement on Reddit received hundreds of upvotes and generated extensive discussion concerning the allegations, the bookstore and the planned protest. The Hidden Chapter Bookstore (Ft. Thomas) : r/cincinnati

Social-media engagement is evidence of public discussion but does not establish the truth or falsity of the allegations. Wikipedia should therefore summarize notable public reaction only when it is relevant to the controversy and should avoid presenting comments from social-media users as factual evidence.

Cincy NKY Accountability is hosting another peaceful protest on 10/10/26.

See also

• Northern Kentucky University
• Kenton County School District
• Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board

References

1. Lyons, Valerie. "Daughter of NKY bookstore owner, former teacher alleges abuse; records show termination, license surrender." WCPO, 2026.
2. Park, Jane. "Former teacher faced misconduct claims. Now he's accused by daughter." The Cincinnati Enquirer, August 17, 2026. .
3. "Hidden Chapter Bookstore in Fort Thomas, KY." Reddit, September 14, 2026.
4. Johnston, Ella Rose. "The Hidden Chapter Bookstore: A sanctuary built on community, welcomes NKU storytellers". The Northerner. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
5. Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board. July 29, 2024 meeting minutes, educator-misconduct matter concerning David Mulcahy.
6. T., a Minor Child, A. et al. v. Webb, Henry et al., No. 23-CI-01295 (Kenton Cir. Ct. 2023).
7. "Former teacher faced misconduct claims. Now he's accused by daughter". Blue Water Healthy Living
8. "Threads". www.threads.com. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
9. The Hidden Chapter Bookstore (Ft. Thomas) : r/cincinnati
10. "Cincy NKY Accountability.