DENVER — A man who was convicted by a Denver jury was sentenced to probation Monday for making threatening phone calls to the Colorado Secretary of State's Office last summer.
Kirk Wertz, 52, will serve two years of court-supervised probation after he was found guilty of one count of retaliation against an elected official for placing a threatening phone call to Jena Griswold, Colorado's secretary of state. He's also prohibited from owning any firearms, according to the Denver District Attorney's Office.
On June 30, 2022, Wertz placed a threatening phone call to the Secretary of State’s Office that was sent to the Colorado State Patrol Executive Security Unit for review.
According to a probable cause statement (PC) for his arrest from Denver Police, Wertz spoke with someone in the office and asked them to pass along this message, "Hey, I've got a message for the secretary and want you to pass it along: The angel of death is coming for her."
Investigators were able to identify the phone number of the caller, and a state trooper called Wertz. According to the PC statement, during a call with the trooper, Wertz said, "She's [Griswold] going to burn in hell." When asked whether he had plans to harm Griswold, Wertz responded, "I don't have to answer any of your stupid questions."
Wertz also claimed in the call that he was an Oath Taker and an Oath Keeper and said, "I owe you no explanation," according to police.
Due to the threatening nature of the call, investigators got a warrant for Wertz's cellphone. It was first pinged in Goodland, Kansas, but he appeared to be traveling from Kansas into Colorado.
Investigators eventually found Wertz at a gas station in Littleton on July 6, at which time he admitted to placing the call. He was taken into custody without incident.
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