Man pleads no contest to threatening to kill Whitmer, Benson

DETROIT, Mich. (WNEM) - A Detroit man accused of threatening to kill Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, and other elected officials pled no contest.

James Toepler, 60, pled no contest to one count of malicious use of telecommunications services on Wednesday, Sept. 13 in the 36th District Court in Detroit.

The charge stems from a call he made to the Detroit Police Department’s 911 center where he threatened to kill Whitmer, Benson, and other elected officials, Attorney General Dana Nessel said.

The call was made on June 23, 2021.

Judge E. Lynise Bryant, who presided over the hearing on Wednesday, agreed to sentence Toepler to a specialized mental health treatment court.

“This is not protected speech, but an attempt to terrorize and intimidate,” Nessel said. “Elected officials should not face death threats for merely doing their jobs. The Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit of my office will continue to prosecute threats against public officials whenever they occur.”

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