Man charged with making online threats to kill election officials in Colorado and Arizona

DURANGO, Colorado — A 45-year-old Colorado man was charged Monday with making numerous online threats to kill election officials and others in Colorado and Arizona.

Teak Ty Brockbank, 45, of Cortez, was arrested Friday and made his initial appearance in court in Durango on Monday on a charge of interstate transmission of threats. A conviction could carry a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.

He will remain in custody pending Wednesday’s hearing, a U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman said.

“We allege that the defendant made detailed death threats against election officials, judges, and law enforcement,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement. Their names were redacted from court records.

In 2021 and 2022, online accounts on the Rumble and Gab forums that investigators said belonged to Brockbank made threats, including threats to shoot or hang several officials.

In August 2022, an account believed to be Brockbank’s posted the following on Rumble: “So those of us who have the stomach for what needs to be done need to prepare our minds for what we are all about to do!!!!!! It’s time.”

Court documents show that detectives also obtained a warrant to search his phone and found threatening text messages.

Brockbank did not immediately respond to a text message and email from The Associated Press seeking comment Monday. There was no attorney listed in court records who could speak on his behalf.

The case was brought as part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force, which was created in June 2021 to address threats against election workers and ensure they can do their jobs free from intimidation.