A San Diego man was arrested Thursday for allegedly making telephoned threats to an election official in Arizona, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
William Hyde, 52, is accused of calling the personal cell phone of an official from the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office in late 2022.
Prosecutors say the official had appeared at a highly publicized special meeting of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors one day earlier to certify results for the Nov. 8, 2022, general election.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges that on Nov. 29, 2022, Hyde first left a message, “Run (expletive).”
In a second message left a short time later, he allegedly said, “You wanna cheat our elections? You wanna screw Americans out of true votes? We’re coming, (expletive) You’d better (expletive) hide.”
Federal prosecutors have charged Hyde with one count of communicating an interstate threat, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. He is slated to make his initial court appearance in San Diego federal court on Friday.
“Intimidation of election officials strikes at the very heart of our democracy,” said Tara McGrath, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California. “Even just one case can have a ripple effect. This office will aggressively prosecute any attempt to intimidate, threaten, or frighten election officials as they engage in these critical duties.”
– City News Service
