Harris Reacts to Sentencing of Howard County Man Who Made Serious Threats

WASHINGTON, DC: Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) reacted to a Howard County man being sentenced today to eight consecutive weekends of jail time, two years of supervised probation including six months of home detention, and 100 hours of community service after pleading guilty to a federal felony. The convicted offender threatened deadly violence against Congressman Harris, his family, and staff in December 2020. The specific threats can be found in the attached sentencing memorandum.

Congressman Harris issued the following statement:

"These grotesquely violent and serious threats made against me and my family last December were appalling – and it was frustrating that this man was allowed to walk free until sentencing. Nevertheless, I can't thank the Capitol Police, the U.S. Attorney's Office, and all others involved enough for their swift and thorough investigation and response to this matter. I hope that this felony conviction serves as a lesson that all political disagreements in America must be addressed in a civil way – not by threats of physical, deadly violence."

The convicted offender was previously released on certain terms until sentencing. In his brief statement during sentencing, Dr. Harris emphasized that as a public official he expects angry individuals at times, but not violent threats against his family, whose lives were also affected – essentially subjected to home detention following and until resolution of this threat.

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