Michigan Man Sentenced to Probation for Threatening Chicago Mayor
A Michigan man who allegedly threatened to shoot Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot in 2022 if she did not reduce the city’s crime rate within five weeks was sentenced to probation on Friday.
William Kohles, 44, was found guilty in April of two counts of threatening a public official during a bench trial before Judge Nicholas Kantas. At a sentencing hearing on Friday, Kantas sentenced Kohles to two years of probation.
Authorities extradited Kohles to Chicago from Grand Rapids in December 2022 for allegedly sending threatening messages to Lightfoot through the “Contact Us” link on the mayor’s city webpage.
“If you don’t reduce the crime in our city, I will turn around and shoot your fcking black a* myself,” the message allegedly said. “You have five weeks, or else you’ll have a bullet with your name on it. I guarantee it will go straight through your m***g head.”
Prosecutors said the message contained additional insults and a racial slur directed at Lightfoot.
“I advise you not to hire any extra security because they won’t even know what’s coming when I shoot your a** because it will be unexpected at the time it happens,” the transmission continued.
An employee at Chicago’s 311 operations center discovered the message and alerted Chicago police. Investigators traced it to Kohles’ cellphone, prosecutors said.
Kohles allegedly told Kent County, Michigan, investigators that he was watching the news about Chicago’s violence levels and blamed Lightfoot for it. He allegedly admitted to sending a “written complaint” about crime because he visited friends in Chicago and didn’t want to become a crime victim here.
When charges were filed, Kohle’s attorney said he was supposed to be on “several” medications for mental health concerns.
Judge Kantas ordered Kohles to submit DNA to a law enforcement database, perform community service, and undergo mental health and substance abuse evaluations and treatment.
