Man who threatened Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold found guilty of retaliation
A Denver jury this week convicted Kirk Wertz of retaliation against an elected official for making a threatening phone call to the Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold.
Wertz, 52, had called the Secretary of State’s Office on the morning of June 30 and said, “Hey, I’ve got a message for the secretary and want you to pass it along: The angel of death is coming for her in the name of Jesus Christ,” according to a probable cause statement.
A Colorado state trooper contacted Wertz that day and Wertz yelled during the phone exchange about the First Amendment, saying, “She’s going to burn in hell,” according to the statement. He also said he’s an “Oath Taker and an Oath Keeper.”
He didn’t admit to making the initial call before hanging up, and the secretary of state had to change safety procedures for fear of what could happen.
On July 6, troopers contacted Wertz in person in Littleton and he admitted to placing the call before he was arrested, the report stated.
After three hours of deliberation, a jury found Wertz guilty of retaliation against an election official, a felony, according to the Denver District Attorney’s Office.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Monday.
“Anyone who threatens violence against elected officials, secretaries of state and election workers should be held accountable,” Griswold said in a statement. “These threats of violence undermine our ability to administer free and fair elections. Americans need to solve our differences at the ballot box, not through violence.”
Local and state elections officials have reported an increase in threats against them and their families after the 2020 election, and Griswold even requested private security for herself in 2021 because of it.
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