A resident of Colorado faces accusations of threatening to eliminate election officials and judges.
Law enforcers claim that 45-year-old Teak Brockbank repeatedly posted menacing statements aimed at authorities in Colorado and Arizona. These allegedly harmful communications, according to the authorities, included accusations of "treason," calls for "execution," and attacks against judges who ruled against former President Donald Trump in a dispute related to elections.
Brockbank has been charged with disseminating interstate threats, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. As of now, a lawyer for Brockbank has not been listed, and he is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday.
The Department of Justice has frequently voiced apprehensions about the dramatic surge in threats against public figures, with a particular focus on threats against election officials and the judiciary.
As per a Monday announcement from the Attorney General, Merrick Garland, "We accuse the defendant of issuing detailed death threats against election officers, judges, and law enforcement agents." "Threats against public servants pose a danger to our democracy," Garland added, "and the arrest and charges declared today make it crystal clear that the Department of Justice will ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable for their actions."
In social media posts from 2021 and 2022, as reported by the prosecutors, Brockbank repeatedly threatened violence against local Colorado authorities. In one post, Brockbank wrote, "I could grab my rifle and shoot this Man in the head and explain myself to our Creator right now. I'd be in the right!"
Brockbank is also accused of stating that he would be "entitled" to start firing at federal law enforcement if they visited his residence, and urged "the American people to take matters into their own hands and eliminate those who we know are responsible" for alleged election fraud in Colorado.
The identities of the election and law enforcement officials who were the target of the threats have been blacked out in legal documents.
According to the prosecutors, the threats continued into late 2023, when Brockbank allegedly texted his stepfather that "Four judges in Colorado have removed President Trump from the ballot in Colorado. Their names have been added to my list..." This statement seems to refer to decisions made in Colorado state courts to remove Trump from the ballot in the state due to his involvement in the January 6, 2021, insurrection – decisions that were subsequently overturned by the US Supreme Court.
Investigators also expressed concern about Brockbank’s "extensive history of illegally possessing firearms," according to court documents, and about a November 2023 text to an associate in which Brockbank wrote, "I never go anywhere without a firearm."
The escalating tensions in politics have led to a notable increase in threats against public figures, as highlighted by the Department of Justice. In this context, Teak Brockbank's repeated threats against authorities in Colorado and Arizona, including judges and law enforcement agents, have resulted in his legal charges.
