A man who made more than 140 threatening calls to a Michigan 911 dispatcher was given jail time.
Jonathan Joshua Munafo, 35, was sentenced to two years in prison and three years’ of supervised release on Oct. 26, by U.S. District Judge Janet Neff.
Munafo called the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 5, 2021, introduced himself as the "Yankee Patriot" and demanded to talk to a deputy or sergeant.
He proceeded to tie up the emergency phone line for three hours and placed approximately 143 calls.
In a press release, the Department of Justice said Munafo "aggressively" berated the dispatcher until a supervisor took over the call.
When the supervisor got on the phone, authorities say Munafo told them, "Put a … cop on the phone now … or it’s going to go way worse for your family." He added, "I’m telling you, this isn’t a … threat, it’s a promise. … I’m gonna cut your throat. I’m gonna make you eat your … nose. I’m gonna hurt you bad for this."
Despite the dispatcher pleading with Munafo to stop, he continued to call the emergency line and tied up the phone line for three hours.
Munafo said the dispatcher was risking lives by letting him tie up the line and that after the "Insurrection Act" he was coming to her house first.
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Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office and FBI investigators said Munafo placed the call from a truck stop in North Carolina.
The following day, Munafo allegedly participated in the Capitol protests on Jan. 6.
"Violence, threats of violence, or intimidation is never the answer," said U.S. Attorney Mark A. Totten. "My office will not tolerate this behavior, especially when it interferes with the life-saving duties of first responders and jeopardizes the public’s safety. Our public servants on the front lines should never be subjected to this type of harassment for simply doing their jobs."
