Judge dismisses terrorism threat charges in Gov. Whitmer kidnapping plot case

3 men bound over for trial

Three men the state said helped plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer were in court on Monday.

Judge Michael Klaeren dropped a 20-year felony against two of the men. The decision challenged the Michigan Attorney General’s office over the charges against Pete Musico and Joseph Morrison.

READ: Informant in plot against Whitmer indicted on weapons charges

The men had been charged with making terroristic threats online and in secret conversations on encrypted apps. The state said that both men spent time and money to train so they could attempt to kidnap Gov. Whitmer.

The judge threw out the terroristic threats charge. The judge said the charges couldn’t stand because the men had made the threats in private.

The judge said it would be different if “one or more of the defendants had yelled it out to the general public and the general public had heard it.”

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About the Authors

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

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