Man Accused Of Threatening Judge Faces More Counts
FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A man arrested more than a year ago accused of sending threatening letters to a federal judge mailed similar letters to district court officials in North Dakota and Minnesota after he was indicted, according to documents unsealed Wednesday.
Carlos Kidd was originally charged in November 2012 with two counts of mailing threatening communications. Authorities allege he mailed two separate letters from Texas to North Dakota threatening to kill U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland in Bismarck.
An updated indictment includes six new charges alleging that Kidd sent letters threatening to kill five district court clerks and one state judge. The indictment says the letters were mailed to officials in Cavalier, Grand Forks, Stutsman and Ward counties in North Dakota, and Clay and Ramsey counties in Minnesota.
A federal public defender was not immediately available for comment.
U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson ruled after a competency hearing Monday that Kidd is fit to stand trial. Court documents filed after the hearing describe Kidd as a "man of remarkable intelligence."
Erickson had ordered the evaluation after Kidd failed to respond to questions at a hearing in July.
Kidd is serving two prison sentences, including 10 years for escape and five years for harassment. Trial on the new charges is scheduled for Feb. 18 in Fargo.
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