Michael Yaker via the Dane County Sheriff’s Office
A 52-year-old Wisconsin man is facing possible time behind bars for allegedly making threats against the state’s governor in a series of emails and social media posts.
Michael Yaker was charged by federal authorities with two counts of using interstate commerce to transmit a threat to injure another person, specifically, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D), charging documents reviewed by Law&Crime show.
According to a criminal complaint submitted in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin State Capitol Police contacted the Dane County Sheriff’s Office last month regarding an email sent to the governor’s office on Oct. 27. On that date, the Correspondence Manager for the Office of the Governor received a message stating: “Mother Nature*** Tony is a Dead Man Walking ?????????? Marked for Elimination My Pronouns Are Lakota War Chief I Will Destroy The State of WI Prepare to Die Ahokay Hey.”
The Governor’s office reported the email to the capitol police and Officer Ted Shwartz responded to the sender — later identified as Yaker — who used the name writeinchiefbadaxe@gmail[dot]com to send the original message. Officer Shwartz told Yaker he was seeking to “clarify” the content and purpose of his original email, authorities say.
“I Speak For The More Than Human World I’d like to have my hands around his throat….I’d like to bash his head against A Concrete Wall Till The Concrete Turns to Dust,” Yaker responded, according to the complaint. “I’d Like to have his Blood On My Hands I’d like to See His Blood Drain Down The Gutter I’d Like Have to have shares of his skull in my Medicine Bag Is That Clear enough For You Ted!?!?”
Authorities say that Yaker ended the email by including his home address in Dane County’s Village of Windsor.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice also provided federal authorities with Facebook messages allegedly posted by Yaker on Oct. 27 that appeared to threaten the governor’s safety. Those messages allegedly said, “Dead Man Walking,” “My Purpose My Passion Is To Destroy The State of WI Ahoka Hey It’s A Good Day to Die,” and “Tony Evers Is a Marked Man … Marked For Elimination … Dead Man Walking . . . Prepare to Die.”
Yaker is being charged by federal authorities because authorities say he was in Kansas at the time he sent the threatening emails to Wisconsin.
The sheriff’s investigator who filled out the affidavit of probable cause wrote that he had previously dealt with Yaker, who works as a timber framer, dating back more than a decade.
“Yaker is known to me as a person of interest in numerous threats investigations dating back to approximately 2010 when Yaker believed he would be receiving the contract to build a park shelter at Scheidegger County Park,” the document states. “Yaker did not receive the contract and has had disputes with various elected and appointed county officials since. Yaker has frequently made phone calls threatening various elected officials, sent threatening emails, posted various threats to social media, and disrupted other official functions.”
According to a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Yaker confronted the county board chairman about the contract at a public forum while holding a large ax. He also reportedly sent the chairman several threatening emails. He reportedly pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct and was fined.
[Image via Dane County Jail]
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