Ohio man charged after feds say he spewed racist threats at Doña Ana District Attorney
An Ohio man faces federal charges after the FBI accused him of sending a voicemail laden with racist threats.
Donald Fowler, 46, faces federal charges of sending a threatening message. The FBI believes Fowler left a voicemail to Gerald Byers, the 3rd Judicial District Attorney, threatening harm. A transcript of that voicemail was attached to an affidavit filed in the Ohio Northern District Court.
“I hope you and your family get what’s coming to you,” Fowler said in the message sent on Oct. 26.
Fowler used the n-word in the message three times and made other allusions to lynching. The Sun-News is choosing not to repeat most of the message because of its racist language.
Fowler seemed to be frustrated with Byers regarding police killings in recent years. Specifically, Fowler referenced the killing of Teresa Gomez, a Las Cruces woman killed by an officer on Oct. 3.
The FBI said in the affidavit that Byers reported the call to federal authorities, who traced it back to Fowler, who lives in Lodi, Ohio.
Fowler initially denied involvement, according to the affidavit. Later, he expressed frustration at the government and said, “You can’t do nothing without being pinned against the wall.”
When asked what in New Mexico set him off, Fowler said, “Because you turn the news on every f-----g day, and you see this s--t happened, and nobody does a damn thing about it.”
Fowler also brought up other instances of police brutality across the U.S. as a motivator for his actions. He also said he had no intention of traveling to New Mexico and has not left Ohio since 2015.
On Dec. 1, Fowler was released on a $20,000 unsecured bond, meaning he’d only have to pay if he violated his release conditions.
Justin Garcia is a reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be reached via email at JEGarcia@LCSun-News.com
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: FBI: Ohio man spewed racist threats at Doña Ana District Attorney
