Raleigh, North Carolina — An Ohio man was given probation after pleading guilty to threatening to kill a North Carolina senator in social media messages last year.
Nicholas Alan Daniels of West Portsmouth, Ohio, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of threatening a congressional employee in Wake County Court on Thursday, according to court documents. Daniels received two years' probation and a suspended sentence of six to 17 months.
Daniels, 38, was arrested by North Carolina Capitol Police in February for sending Facebook messages to North Carolina Republican Sen. Todd Johnson last fall threatening to kill the Union County senator and his family. Ohio authorities were also involved in Daniels' arrest.
Daniels, whose first name is spelled “Nicholas” in some court documents, was originally charged with two felony counts and 10 misdemeanors, but prosecutors dismissed all but one felony count as part of a plea agreement.
Daniels spoke out of turn at his first court appearance, telling the judge he did not send those messages and that his Facebook account had been hacked.
Daniels must undergo a mental health evaluation and may be placed on probation in Ohio, according to the ruling. She is also banned from contacting or being near Johnson.
Johnson, currently in his third term as a state senator and chairman of the Chamber of Commerce's Commerce and Insurance Committee, neither he nor his office responded to messages seeking comment.
Editor's note: The video featured is from a previous report.
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