Man charged with terrorism for threat against election director: ‘hang Joe for treason’

A man is accused of threatening an election director during a recount of local elections during December, officials said.

On Dec. 15, Andrew Fred Hess, 37, of Livonia, allegedly walked outside the recount room at Oakland County Complex in Pontiac and said, “hang Joe for treason,” in reference to the county elections director, according to a news release from the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office. The alleged statement was then reported to law enforcement.

Hess is charged with false report/threat of terrorism, a felony punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $20,000, officials said.

“There are individuals who seek to undermine the integrity of the election process by threatening and intimidating election workers and supervisors,” Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a statement. “Those threats don’t just impact our election workers, they put our democracy at risk, and they will not be tolerated.”

Read more: MLive (Michigan)