TOWN OF CALEDONIA, Wis. — A 40-year-old man was arrested for allegedly creating a social media post threatening the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and a circuit court judge.
Authorities identified the man as a resident of the Town of Caledonia on Saturday. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office has had several recent contacts with him that led detectives to determine these threats were true and credible.
A search warrant was obtained to arrest the man for threatening to cause bodily harm to certain individuals involved with the court or legal system.
Based on information from previous contacts and with the ultimate concern for the safety of our staff, detectives tried several times to get him to come to the sheriff’s office without success, officials said.
Law enforcement conducted surveillance at his residence and saw him leaving a vehicle at around 9:40 a.m. Sunday. A pursuit began when the man continued driving.
The man’s behavior during the attempted traffic stop led to a large response of sheriff’s office staff from the Portage area.
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team executed a search warrant after the man was taken into custody, where a substantial number of firearms, ammunition, and other evidence were recovered.
He is awaiting an initial appearance for the following charges:
“While the 1st Amendment protects freedom of speech, true threats of violence directed at specific individuals, especially public officials and judges, are not protected speech and are a crime in Wisconsin,” said the sheriff’s office. “Threats of violence directed at anyone will be taken seriously and fully investigated.”
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