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POLICE INVESTIGATING

January 13, 2011

GOP headquarters receives threatening message

Voicemail and note left

By Rebekah Metzler rmetzler@mainetoday.com
MaineToday Media State House Writer

AUGUSTA -- Police were called to the Maine Republican Party headquarters to investigate a threatening message discovered Wednesday morning.

GOP Executive Director Christie-Lee McNally said the voice mail message directly threatened Charlie Webster of Farmington, the party chairman.

"A 9 mm might not be able to silence Charlie, but a .50-caliber will. And there's a lot of angry people out there, so Charlie Webster should be very careful," McNally said, paraphrasing the exact message.

Webster, who was not at the office on Wednesday, said later he was not taking the threat too seriously and attributed it to someone likely not happy with change in Augusta.

"I mean, what are you going to do? You can't live your life like that, worried about this stuff," he said. "You always have to be concerned about anything, but frankly, as we change state government there are some people who aren't going to like it and are looking to blame somebody."

Lt. Kevin Lully of Augusta Police had few details. A report on the incident was not available Wednesday afternoon as police continued to deal with a number of accidents caused by a severe winter storm.

McNally said police told them to have the phone company track down the number that called in.

"If we can pinpoint the number, then they will go speak to the individual. But they do want us to call them if there are any more calls," she said.

The voice mail, coupled with a derisive and disrespectful note taped to the GOP office that was found Monday, has made some staffers a bit uneasy.

"We get tons of (negative) e-mails, we get tons of calls, but the fact that they've now come to the door and then there's this direct threat," McNally said. "To me, it's a little disconcerting."

Staff writer Craig Crosby contributed to this report.

Rebekah Metzler -- 620-7016

rmetzler@mainetoday.com

 

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