Isolated threats and political violence across the country marked the election season

Reports of violent threats and physical violence were not common in the lead-up to Tuesday’s election, but scores of people across the country have been charged with related offenses in recent weeks.

Scripps News found that local, state and federal authorities have made arrests in several jurisdictions for election-related intimidation or violent incidents.

These places include Minnesota, Texas, Michigan, Florida, South Carolina, Arizona and Washington DC

Shooting threats

In Rochester, Minnesota, the Olmsted County District Attorney charged Timothy William Kearney with a felony after charging him with threatening to shoot people at the polling place on November 3.

An election judge told police he heard Kearney say he was going to “shoot every Democrat in the building” when he and another man arrived at the polling place to vote, according to court documents obtained by Scripps News. He also reported that the men “appeared to be drunk.”

An officer investigating the incident at Kearney’s housing complex said the 46-year-old refused to open the door for the officer and “(the officer) continued to yell, saying he was going to kill them.”

Court records say Kearney later said he “didn’t remember what he said.”

In Arizona, weeks before the election, police arrest Jeffrey Michael Kelly, 60, amid allegations that he shot up the Democratic National Committee office in Tempe. He is also accused of hanging bags of white powder on political signs with razor blades attached to the edges of political signs.

Threatened with a machete

In Florida, 18-year-old Caleb Williams faces an aggravated assault charge after being accused of intimidating voters with a 23-inch machete at an early voting site on Oct. 29.

A witness said Williams “approached her in an intimidating manner with a machete over his head,” according to an arrest report obtained by Scripps News. Another witness stated that he was “afraid of getting hurt.”

A police officer investigating the incident said Williams “admitted to possessing a machete and holding it with a political sign attached.”

Disputes over political hats

The video, shot in Orangeburg, South Carolina, shows a voter and poll workers arguing over the political hat the voter was asked to remove from his head.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division confirmed to Scripps News it is investigating the incident, but no charges have been filed at this time.

A similar altercation occurred at a polling place in Bexar County, Texas; Here, a voter wore a political baseball cap on his head at an early voting site, a violation of the law.

“The situation got ugly,” Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said.

As an election official escorted the voter out of the facility, “the suspect appeared to extend his arm toward the victim… The victim appeared to push the suspect at this point. “The suspect then turned and punched the victim several times in the face,” he said.

Jesse Lutzenberger, 63, now faces a felony charge of assault on a worker.

Prosecutors in Orland Park, Illinois, charged 24-year-old Daniel Schmidt with felonies after he accused him of punching an election judge who warned him not to line up at the polling site.

“Schmidt began yelling profanities and punched the election judge in the face, knocking off his glasses,” the Orland Park Police Department said. “At this point several other patrons stepped in and restrained Schmidt until officers arrived.”

Volunteers were threatened with a car

Michigan, St. A group of volunteers working for a Democratic campaign in St. Clair Shores said they were handing out information in the VFW parking lot when a man threatened them with his car.

Jason Lynch Lafond, 55, faces charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and ethnic intimidation after the Macomb County prosecutor “allegedly made derogatory slurs, including slurs targeting sexual orientation.” “He also said that when Trump wins, he will ‘destroy’ people like them.” The prosecutor said Lafond “returned to his vehicle and accelerated towards the volunteers, who had to move out of the way to avoid being hit.”

Federal bomb threat charge, threatening comments

This month, federal authorities charged two Michigan men with making election-related threats of violence online.

Christopher Clay Pierce, 46, is accused of threatening a political action committee with violence, according to the complaint filed in federal court.

Pierce is accused of writing: “Every day, your team reaches out to me with a campaign ad… You (expletive) contact me again(sic) I guarantee I can find you (expletive) every single one of your organizations…. We (expletive) contact me again.” will turn it upside down.” He is also accused of writing, “Kamala Harris is nothing but a…communist.”

He also described his partners as “trained killers,” according to court records.

Isaac SisselThe 25-year-old is accused of using violent screen names such as “ShootUpTrumpRally” and “PlanningToKillTrump.” He faces federal charges for threatening to target conservative Christians with violence after the election.

He is accused of writing, “I will attack if Trump wins the election.”

Meanwhile, a Election worker in GeorgiaNicholas Wimbish, 25, is accused of sending a bomb threat to an election investigator and making it look like it came from a disgruntled voter.

Congress building fear

On election day, United States Capitol Police arrested a man who tried to enter the Capitol Visitor Center while armed with flares, a torch lighter, and bottles of what appeared to be gasoline.

“Officers searched the man and found a manifesto and what appeared to be a letter to Congress. A police spokesman said the letter focused on the man’s views on the war in the Middle East.

“If our officers had not stopped this man, (Election Day) would have been a much different story than this one,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said.

Manger said he did not believe the incident had anything to do with the election.

The suspect, 27-year-old Austin M. Olson, faces charges of possession of a prohibited weapon, unlawful activity and disorderly conduct.

In September, the Administrator told Scripps News that his officers were prepared and prepared to deal with threats and violence before, during and after the election.

“There are people saying things on social media and making it clear that they have big plans to disrupt the government process in some way if the elections don’t go their way,” he said. “We’re aware of that and we’re certainly planning for that, and I’m confident that we can protect the Capitol and what’s going on here over the next few months.”

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