Holland man threatened to kill President Biden, Gov. Whitmer to start revolution, attorney general says
MAR 16, 2021 | REPUBLISHED BY LIT: MAR 17, 2021
OTTAWA COUNTY, MI – A Holland man is accused of making death threats against President Joe Biden, U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Joshua Docter, 21, is accused of threatening to shoot and kill the officials and “‘be the catalyst’ for a new American revolution,” authorities said.
He is charged with threat of terrorism and using a computer to commit a crime, both 20-year felony charges.
He allegedly made the threats on iFunny, a social media platform. The FBI began investigating after authorities received tips about threats to the Democratic officials.
Charges were filed Monday, March 15, in Holland District Court. Docter turned himself in for arraignment Tuesday before Judge Bradley Knoll.
State Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the charges.
“Threatening elected officials is against the law and my office will prosecute those who attempt to intimidate or terrorize our state and federal leaders,”
she said in a statement.
The FBI and state police investigated, with state police referring the case to the state attorney general for prosecution.
The alleged threats were made in late January, court records said.
“In those posts, Docter stated he would use a gun to shoot and kill the elected officials and would ‘be the catalyst’ for a new American revolution,”
the statement said.
On his cellphone, Docter allegedly had information on how to make a bomb and where to find materials for a bomb.
Docter’s parents, Bret and Erin Docter, issued a statement Tuesday regarding the charges.
“As a family, we were shocked to learn of the charges against our son. We are in process of evaluating them and working with legal counsel to consider our next steps. We respectfully ask for privacy at this most difficult time,”
according to the statement.
Docter has a probable-cause conference set for April 8 and a preliminary examination on April 15.
He was released on a $5,000 personal-recognizance bond.
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