Capitol attack suspect pleads guilty to threatening 911 dispatcher

Greyson Steele, Battle Creek Enquirer
·2 min read
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GRAND RAPIDS — A Massachusetts man who called the Calhoun County 911 dispatch line more than 140 times and threatened to kill the dispatcher has pleaded guilty.

Jonathan Joshua Munafo pleaded guilty Wednesday in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan to one count of communicating a threat in interstate commerce.

The threats he pleaded to were made Jan. 5, 2021. He faces separate charges connected to his actions the following day, when he participated in a riot at the U.S. Capitol.

“We will not tolerate threats of this kind,” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in a statement. “Emergency dispatchers do critical work, under stressful circumstances, to keep the community safe. No one, especially front-line public servants, should face threats of death or other physical violence.”

Munafo faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for communicating a threat in interstate commerce. He is slated to be sentenced on Oct. 6.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Michigan, Munafo called Calhoun County dispatch Jan. 5, 2021, demanding to speak with law enforcement, though he had no emergency to report.

When the dispatcher refused to transfer him and asked him to clear the line, Munafo repeatedly called back.

“I’m gonna cut your throat. I’m gonna make you eat your f***ing nose,” he told the female dispatcher, according to the release.

He also told the dispatcher he would "come to (her) door first," after the "Insurrection Act," adding, "it’s going to go way worse for your family."

Cellphone location records revealed Munafo placed the calls from a truck stop in North Carolina. He is also accused of participating in a riot at the U.S. Capitol the following day, Jan. 6.

In that case, Munafo is charged with forcibly assaulting a U.S. Capitol Police officer, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, among seven other counts. He will appear in the District of Columbia to face those charges after his sentencing in Grand Rapids.

Contact reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-501-5661. Follow him on Twitter: G_SteeleBC

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Man pleads guilty to threatening Calhoun County 911 dispatcher