A Michigan man is facing multiple terrorism-related charges after police accused him of calling in a fake bomb threat to the state Capitol nearly a month after he was previously accused of threatening to kill a state lawmaker.
But the lawmaker, Rep. Cynthia Johnson of Detroit, told the Detroit Free Press she wanted an investigation as to why the man wasn t arrested for more than three weeks after he threatened to kill her and her family. The guy is white; I am Black, Johnson told the Detroit Free Press. If I was a white woman I think this would be handled a little differently.
LANSING A Michigan man faces terrorism and other felony charges after allegedly calling in a fake bomb threat to the state Capitol and separately threatening to kill a state representative.
But officials have not explained why Michael Chad Varrone was not arrested nearly a month ago, when he allegedly used his cell phone to threaten to kill state Rep. Cynthia Johnson, D-Detroit, and her family, identifying himself and even spelling his name in a voicemail message he left with a legislative office.
A Michigan State Police spokeswoman initially said House sergeants not the MSP handled the investigation of the Dec. 12 voicemail message that threatened Johnson. But Gideon D Assandro, a spokesman for the House speaker, said House sergeants deal only with immediate threats around the Capitol complex, and they referred the phone call to the MSP.