James W. Clark pleaded guilty Friday to sending a communication containing a bomb threat to an election official in the Arizona Secretary of States office, according to a news release.
According to court documents, on or about Feb. 14, 2021, Clark, a 38-year-old from Falmouth, Mass., sent a message via the website contact form of the Arizona Secretary of States Office, Election Division, addressed to the election official, and warned her that she needed to resign by Tuesday, February 16 by 9 a.m. or the explosive device impacted in her personal space will be detonated.
Threatening public officials is a serious matter, never warranted by the situation no matter how heated or politically charged, said U.S. Attorney Gary M. Restaino for the District of Arizona in a news release. Cases like this are important in protecting not only the public official victimized by the conduct, but also the integrity of our election processes as a whole.
Shortly after transmitting the message, Clark conducted online searches that included the full name of the election official in conjunction with the words how to kill and address. Clark also conducted online searches involving the Boston Marathon bombing.