ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – Commissioner Bob Barron is responding to the death threat he and fellow Delta County Commissioners David Moyle and Robert Petersen say they received on March 8.
The three commissioners face a recall election this May. They each say they received an email from the address hicks@pissoff.com, which read, “Resign now or you will die next week.”
Barron told WZMQ 19 that the threat is an act of “domestic terrorism,” saying the person who sent it should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
“This is very serious,” said Barron. “It’s unnerving. I’ve never had this experience before in my life and I don’t wish it on anyone. We are so vulnerable for these sycophants to do something like this. As far as I’m concerned, it needs to be pushed to the nth degree. This is domestic terrorism, without a doubt.”
Barron said the situation is “directly attributable to attacks” he says the County Board of Commissioners has faced since the recall effort began.
“We were set up in February of last year and we’ve endured the attacks all the way to this point,” he said. “We’ve been restrained by the situation because there was not a willingness for people to listen, just exacerbate the attacks. No more of this. They’ve got their signatures. Unfortunately, the people of Delta County who signed those recall petitions were duped by this group, and they need to realize that… I do not believe at all that the people here want this kind of action that these people are behind the scenes getting ready to pour upon us.”
A spokesperson for the Delta County Citizens for Ethical Leadership sent WZMQ 19 News a response to Barron’s statement.
“Bob Barron, Bob Petersen, Dave Moyle and us don’t agree on much but we do agree that these death threats are inexcusable,” said group member Christiana Reynolds. “Speaking on behalf of the Delta Country Citizens for Ethical Leadership we hope that whoever made these threats are found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Threats like these have no place in democratic society and we have come out and publicly stated this. From the beginning we have been a grassroots organization of concerned citizens who genuinely want what is best for our community. We are mothers, fathers, teachers, mill workers, and church goers, who have donated our time to increase transparency about politics at the county level and we have been targeted by this board who seeks not to understand but to silence us. We are a bipartisan group and have been since the start but these three commissioners have tried their best to intimidate and smear us over social media. We truly wish for our community to feel united but under the current leadership that doesn’t seem possible. No one deserves to feel intimidated and the Delta County Citizens for Ethical Leadership sincerely hope for a swift investigation and prosecution for whoever committed this crime. We fully intend to continue our efforts to remove Barron, Moyle, and Petersen by legal means at the ballot box on May 7th. When our democratic systems are honored we all win.”
The Michigan State Police are investigating the situation. WZMQ 19 will have more on this developing story on Tuesday, March 19, following the evening’s Delta County Commission meeting.
