PONTIAC (WWJ) — A Livonia man could face up to 20 years in prison for threatening comments he allegedly made about an Oakland County elections official.
Andrew Hess, 37, was charged Monday with making a false report or threat of terrorism, stemming from an incident last December during a recount of several local elections at the County Complex in Oakland.
During the recount on Dec. 15, 2023, the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office alleges Hess walked out of the recount room and said "hang Joe for treason."
Officials say that comment was in reference to Oakland County Director of Elections Joe Rozell.
Someone overheard Hess make the statement and reported the incident to law enforcement, according to the prosecutor's office.
The prosecutor's office did not release any further information about the incident, including what happened in the recount room prior to the alleged comment.
"The integrity of our elections is essential to democracy," Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said, per a press release. "We need dedicated, ethical public servants to conduct that process, and to do it transparently – we should invite public scrutiny. But there are individuals who seek to undermine the integrity of the election process by threatening and intimidating election workers and supervisors. Those threats don't just impact our election workers, they put our democracy at risk, and they will not be tolerated."
False report of terrorism is a felony offense punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $20,000, or both.
Officials did not release any information about Hess's next court date.
