A woman was accused of making threats to a Detroit area Republican election official
DETROIT – An angry woman at a Detroit area election official sent pictures of a corpse and threatened her family, the day after a clamorous meeting in which Republican council members initially refused to certify local results in favor of Joe Biden, officials said on Wednesday.
Katelyn Jones, 23, was accused of making a threat of violence. She sent a series of disturbing messages over the phone and on social media that referred to Monica Palmer, of the Wayne County Colporteur Council, as a terrorist and racist, the FBI said in a lawsuit.
Jones has connections with Olivet, Michigan, according to her driver’s license, but the FBI said she sent threats from Epping, New Hampshire, where she was with her mother, and was arrested there.
“The allegations in this case should make us all sick,” said US Attorney Matthew Schneider. “There is simply no place in Michigan or the United States for threats like this to people who are simply doing what they believe is right. … This is not the only election-related threat case we are investigating. “
Jones appeared in federal court in Concord, New Hampshire, and was instructed to appear in court in Detroit on January 13. She must participate in a mental health program. His lawyer declined to comment.
A message seeking comments from Palmer was not immediately returned.
Palmer chaired a noisy meeting of the Canvassers’ Council on 17 November. She and a Republican colleague on the four-member council initially refused to certify the results of the Wayne County election, typically a routine step on the road to certification across the state. They cited problems with absentee votes in Detroit.
When the meeting became public comment, Palmer and William Hartmann were criticized for hours by people watching on videoconference. They later changed their votes and certified the election totals, saying that the two Democrats on the council ensured that a post-election audit would be carried out. Biden won the county on November 3, with 68% of the vote.
“You made a serious mistake. I hope you understand that now, ”Jones told Palmer the day after the meeting, according to the FBI.
The threats included photos of the body of a naked, bloody woman and references to Palmer’s daughter, the FBI said.
“I would be sorry if something happened to your daughter at school,” said Jones, according to investigators.
Jones admitted to making the threats when interviewed by agents on Tuesday because he felt Palmer was “interfering in the election,” the FBI said in a lawsuit.
Palmer and Hartmann said they voted to certify the results after “hours of constant pressure” and after receiving promises that their concerns about the election would be investigated. They said President Donald Trump reached out to support them immediately after the November meeting.
There was no evidence of widespread electoral fraud in Michigan or any other state, experts said.
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