A man in Colorado is facing charges for allegedly making online death threats towards election officials and others in Colorado and Arizona. Teak Ty Brockbank, a 45-year-old from Cortez, was taken into custody on Friday and appeared in court in Durango on Monday on a charge of transmitting interstate threats. The maximum penalty for this offense is five years in federal prison. His detention hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
According to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Brockbank allegedly made specific death threats against election officials, judges, and law enforcement officers. The names of these individuals were redacted from court records. Online accounts linked to Brockbank on the Rumble and Gab forums reportedly posted threats, including mentions of shooting or hanging various officials.
Court records revealed that in August 2022, an account believed to be Brockbank’s posted a message on Rumble indicating a preparedness for unspecified actions. Investigators obtained a warrant to search his phone and discovered threatening text messages. Brockbank did not respond to attempts from the Associated Press seeking comment, and no attorney was listed for him in court records.
The case is being handled as part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force, established in 2021 to address and combat threats against election workers and ensure they can perform their duties without fear of intimidation.