DETROIT, Mich. (WLNS) — A 60-year-old Detroit man has pled no contest to one count of Malicious Use of Telecommunications Services for a 911 call in which he threatened to kill elected officials including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, according to Attorney General Dana Nessel.
James Toepler allegedly on June 23, 2021, made a call to the Detroit Police Dept. 911 Call Center, in which he threatened to kill Whitmer, Benson, and others whose names he didn’t specify in the call.
At a pre-trial hearing in the 36th District Court in Detroit, Judge E. Lynise Bryant agreed to sentence Toepler to a specialized mental health treatment court, the AG said Thursday.
“This is not protected speech, but an attempt to terrorize and intimidate,” Nessel said. “The Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit of my office will continue to prosecute threats against public officials whenever they occur.”
