Texas man arrested for death threats against Georgia officials over election

Jan. 21 (UPI) -- A Texas man accused of threatening to kill multiple Georgia officials over the 2020 election was arrested Friday.

Prosecutors allege that Chad Christopher Stark, in a Jan. 5, 2021, Craigslist post, called on "Georgia patriots" to kill an election official, accused the official of being a "Chinese agent" and offered a $10,000 bounty.

"It's our duty as American Patriots to put an end to the lives of these traitors and take back our country by force we can no longer wait on the corrupt law enforcement in the corrupt courts," the post read, according to the charging document from a Georgia district court.

The document doesn't name the three officials that were targeted in the post.

Election workers in Georgia received threats from people who believed that the 2020 election results had been manipulated against former President Donald Trump.

Trump himself targeted Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in his tweets and public statements.

Raffensperger detailed accounts of death threats he and his family received, stating that he strongly condemns threats against election workers.

The Jan. 6 committee charged with investigating the Capitol riots found on Friday that Republicans cast fraudulent unofficial votes for Trump. They signed certificates claiming they were qualified to represent seven states, including Georgia.

Stark was charged with one count of interstate threats, which carries a possible sentence of up to five years in prison. His warrant for arrest was signed Tuesday.

He's expected to appear in federal court in Austin, Texas, on Friday afternoon.