Maxwell Caldwell|Man charged with making online threats to kill election officials in Colorado and Arizona

2025-04-28 21:04:08source:John Caldwellcategory:Finance

DURANGO,Maxwell Caldwell Colo. (AP) — A 45-year-old Colorado man was charged Monday with making numerous online threats to kill election officials and others in Colorado and Arizona.

Teak Ty Brockbank, 45, of Cortez, was arrested Friday and made an initial appearance in court on Monday in Durango on a charge of transmitting interstate threats. A conviction carries a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.

He remains in custody pending a detention hearing on Wednesday, a spokesperson with the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

“We allege that the defendant made detailed death threats against election officials, judges, and law enforcement officers,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement. Their names were redacted from court records.

In 2021 and 2022, online accounts on the Rumble and Gab forums that investigators said belonged to Brockbank posted the threats including to shoot or hang various officials.

In August 2022, an account believed to belong to Brockbank posted on Rumble: “So those of us that have the stomach for what has to be done should prepare our minds for what we all Are going to do!!!!!! It is time.”

RELATED COVERAGE Colorado GOP chair ousted in a contentious vote that he dismisses as a ‘sham’Kroger and Albertsons defend merger plan in federal court against US regulators’ objectionsDeion Sanders’ quest to keep negativity out of Colorado’s program includes shutting out columnist

Investigators also received a warrant to search his phone and found threatening text messages, court records said.

Brockbank did not immediately reply to a text message or an email from The Associated Press on Monday seeking comment. There was no attorney listed for him in court records who might speak on his behalf.

The case is brought as part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force, which began in June 2021 to address threats against election workers and make sure they are able to do their jobs free from intimidation.

More:Finance

Recommend

Drone operators worry that anxiety over mystery sightings will lead to new restrictions

Drones for commercial and recreational use have grown rapidly in popularity, despite restrictions on

BravoCon 2023 Is Switching Cities: All the Details on the New Location

UPDATE: Two tiers of BravoCon 2023 three-day tickets—"Bravoholic" general admission and "Future Brav

Activists Make Final Appeal to Biden to Block Arctic Oil Project

Environmental and Indigenous activists rallied outside the White House on Friday calling on Presiden