(The Center Square) – Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced that a man has been sentenced to three years of probation after sending a threatening elections-related email to Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates in 2022.
Phoenix resident Ryan Stuart Hadland, 45, pled guilty to “Use of An Electronic Communication to Terrify, Intimidate, Threaten or Harass,” which is a class 1 misdemeanor in the state, according to the Attorney General’s office. He was charged in June 2023 for the email sent on Nov. 12, 2022, which was four days after the midterm election.
“Threats of violence against public servants are not only criminal acts, they are direct attacks on the principles of our democracy,” Mayes said in a statement Monday. “My office is committed to protecting our election officials and I will continue to prosecute those who seek to undermine our democracy through intimidation and violence.”
In the email, Hadland threatened to poison Gates’ food repeatedly until he died. He also referred to Gates, a Republican, as “the corrupt Democrat party” and accused him of making his “vote not count.”
“I promise you, you are about to be poisoned multiple times over again to make sure your death, or corpse, is carried out,” Hadland wrote.
The supervisor was one of several Maricopa County officials that came under intense scrutiny on and after Election Day, as there were issues with ballot printers, Votebeat reported.
The Republican ticket backed by former President Donald Trump lost, leading to lawsuits from candidates such as Kari Lake, who ran for governor, and Abe Hamadeh, who ran for Attorney General, with the day of issues being frequently mentioned as a legal argument.
As for Gates, he is not seeking re-election to his seat this election cycle. He told The Washington Post in May that he now faces a battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“Regardless of personal partisan preferences or external pressure, I remained focused on making our region the best place to live, work, and raise a family,” Gates said in a statement in June.
The Attorney General’s office added that as part of Hadland’s probation, he is required by the Pima County Superior Court to have continued “mental health services.”
