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James Dale Reed Found Guilty Of Voter Intimidation After Leaving Letter Threatening President Biden, VP Harris In Maryland Mailbox

February 24, 2021 / 11:10 PM EST / CBS Baltimore

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FREDERICK, Md. (WJZ) -- A 42-year-old Frederick man was found guilty of voter intimidation Wednesday for leaving a letter in a mailbox that threatened then-presidential and vice presidential candidates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and their supporters, the Frederick County State's Attorney's Office said.

Judge Eric William Schaffer also found James Dale Reed not guilty of a count of making a threat of mass violence in the incident and sentenced him to two years behind bars with all but time served suspended. He will also spend three years on supervised probation.

A federal case is still pending.

Reed had been accused of leaving a letter in the mailbox of a home on Kline Avenue in Frederick in October.

The letter read in part: "This is a warning to anyone reading this letter if you are a Biden/Harris supporter you will be targeted. We have a list of homes and addresses by your election signs. We are the ones with those scary guns, We are the ones your children have nightmares about…"

The rest of the message was too graphic to detail but claimed they would allegedly beat Biden and sodomize Harris before executing them on national television.

Investigators identified Reed as a suspect after getting a citizen tip. He was also caught on the home's doorbell camera.

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At first, Reed denied being behind the letter, but he later admitted to leaving it at the home, telling investigators "this will happen," referring to people making threatening comments due to the "political climate."

The residents of the home where Reed left the letter told WJZ at the time it was concerning but that they didn't plan to take down any of their campaign signs supporting Biden and Harris.

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