Man left his name on message where he threatened to blow official’s head off, SC cops say
A Georgia man was recently arrested after leaving his name at the end of a profanity-laced, threatening voicemail message to an official in Lexington County, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
On Feb. 7, 56-year-old Appling, Georgia resident Michael Lee Gaskins was charged with threatening the life of a public official, SLED said in a news release.
The phone call and message were delivered on Feb. 2, according to an arrest warrant.
The message opens with a string of vulgarities directed at a special agent, the arrest warrant shows.
The voicemail then closes with, “I’m gonna blow your goddamn head off, this is Michael Lee Gaskins,” according to the arrest warrant.
The phone number used to make the call was confirmed to belong to Gaskins, the arrest warrant said.
Information about a motive for the threat was not available.
Gaskins was booked into the Lexington County Detention Center, SLED said. Bond was set at $150,000, and Gaskins remains locked up, jail records show.
The case will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
If convicted on the charge, Gaskins faces a maximum punishment of 30 days in jail and a $500 fine, according to South Carolina law.
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