Texas Man Threatened To Kill GA Election Workers: Prosecutors

Atlanta GA

21 January, 2022

11:58 AM

Description

WASHINGTON, DC — A Texas man is accused of threatening to kill Georgia election workers, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Chad Christopher Stark, 54, of Leander, Texas, is charged with making interstate threats after being accused of posting a message on Craigslist saying, "Georgia Patriots it's time for us to take back our state from these lawless treasonous traitors. It's time to invoke our Second Amendment right it's time to put a bullet in the treasonous Chinese" — a reference, the documents say, to an unidentified election official. "If we want our country back we have to exterminate these people," the post continued. Stark was arrested Friday in Travis County, Texas. The charge was filed in the northern district of Georgia, and the FBI's Atlanta field office is investigating the case. This is the first criminal case brought by the Justice Department's Election Threats Task Force, formed in June 2021. The purpose of the task force is to address threats of violence against election workers and "to ensure that all election workers — whether elected, appointed or volunteer — are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation," a release from the Department of Justice said. "The Justice Department has a responsibility not only to protect the right to vote but also to protect those who administer our voting systems from violence and illegal threats of violence," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a release.