‘Rip your face off.’ SC man charged with threatening a public official, SLED says

A Greenville man faces criminal charges after sending threatening emails to a judge, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division announced Friday.

David Matthew Zwicker, 36, was charged with threatening the life, person or family of a public official, intimidation of court officials, harassment in the second degree and unlawful communication, officials said.

Zwicker sent an email to a judge whose name was redacted. The email contained a threat to inflict bodily harm, saying “I’ll rip your face off on Jan. 14, according to affidavits.

A police investigation found Zwicker sent nine separate emails between Dec. 30and Jan. 19 to the public official with no legitimate purpose except to cause a person to “suffer mental or emotional stress,” an affidavit read.

Zwicker was booked at the Spartanburg Detention Center.

The 13th Circuit Solicitor’s Office in Greenville County will prosecute the case, SLED said.

Alexa Jurado

The State

Alexa Jurado is a news reporter for The State covering Lexington County and Richland County schools. She previously wrote about the University of South Carolina and contributes to this coverage. A Chicago suburbs native, Alexa graduated from Marquette University and previously wrote for publications in Illinois and Wisconsin. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, the Milwaukee Press Club and the South Carolina Press Association.