LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A Kentucky man has been arrested and charged with threatening to kill the state’s governor, first lady and their family in a series of Facebook posting, federal authorities said Friday.
Federal agents said they also believe 22-year-old William Collin Bordt had posted online threats against the former director of the South Carolina Republican Party, Todd Kincannon, and another person who chairs an election commission in Simpsonville, S.C.
A criminal complaint filed in federal court in Lexington states that Kentucky State Police and federal agents arrested Bordt on Wednesday and charged the Lexington man with using interstate communications to make threats. A federal magistrate judge ordered Bordt released from custody on Friday, but restricted his travel to the eastern half of Kentucky and barred him from going to the state capitol, Frankfort.
Bordt’s attorney, Patrick Nash of Lexington, was out of the office and did not immediately return a call seeking comment Friday.
A review of Bordt’s Facebook profile listed in the complaint showed several posts, but no threats against any public officials. An email sent to the address listed in a criminal complaint was not immediately returned.
A spokeswoman for Beshear, a Democrat in his second term as Kentucky governor, declined immediate comment Friday.
Department of Homeland Security Special Agent Michael Romagnoli wrote in an affidavit that Bordt posted a series of messages on the governor’s Facebook page. Romagnoli cited five comments attributed to Bordt on March 4 and quoted them as follows:
__ “Your both dead if he doesn’t step down”
__ “DO NOT REPORT THIS MESSAGE.”
__ “HORRIBLE AND DREADFUL THINGS WILL HAPPEN TO BOTH YOU AND STEVE ….”
__ “Your husband will see me before he is sent to hell …”
__ “AND YOUR DAUGHTERS … I will have my way with them.”
The Beshears have two sons and two daughters-in-law, but no daughters.
Romagnolia said in the affidavit that security officials reviewed the message on March 4 and sent an emergency disclosure request to Facebook at its California offices. Facebook identified Bordt as the account holder and gave investigators his email address.
Investigators later linked an IP address used to post the threats to Bordt’s home address in Lexington, Romagnoli wrote. Romagnoli did not give a motive for the posts.
State troopers visited Bordt’s home Wednesday to execute a search warrant. Romagnoli said Bordt spoke with the officers and acknowledged sending messages to Kincannon in February and posting the messages on Beshear’s Facebook page. He said Bordt also acknowledged sending threatening messages online to a former boss in November.
Kincannon is a South Carolina attorney and political operative noted for inflammatory Twitter messages. Attempts to reach Kincannon were not immediately successful Friday. Bordt has not been charged with threatening Kincannon or his former employer.
“Bordt admitted to smoking marijuana but stated he was not ’high’,” Romagnoli said. “Bordt stated he remembered that he threatened to harm and kill the Governor and his family. Bordt said he did not mean the message literally.”
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