A 19-year-old man is accused of sending threatening emails to Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter and President Barack Obama in an effort to get his court case dropped.
Markel Collins, of Norcross, was arrested after his threats escalated, according to arrest warrants obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was being held without bond today on numerous charges, including four counts of terroristic threats and acts, booking records show.
The threats started with an email sent to the DA on May 25, the warrants state.
“Markel Collins sent Danny Porter an email demanding that Mr. Porter drop his pending court case,” the warrant states. “Markel Collins also demands one million dollars and if he does not get the money, he is going to kidnap Mr. Porter and hold him hostage.”
Collins allegedly sent similar notes to the office manager for the DA’s office and his own defense attorney, demanding $100,000 from each, the warrants state. And Porter told Channel 2 Action News that Collins also attempted to send a threat directly to Obama.
When Porter didn’t respond to the first email, Collins allegedly sent another one, this time stating that the DA had a “couple of days to respond” before he was injured, the warrant states. Collins also allegedly stated that he had a loaded pistol.
“Basically the emails to me started to escalate,” Porter told Channel 2 by phone. “When he sent the last email where he said he had a loaded gun and he would come to my house and hurt me, at that point we realized we had to get him back under court control.”
Collins’ mother, Alethea Collins, said her son has battled mental issues and was likely off his medication when he sent the emails.
“Markel says those things, but he’s not going to do those things,” the mother told Channel 2. “If he’s on his medication, he’s a pretty calm child.”
Porter said the Secret Service is investigating the alleged threats made to Obama.
The alleged threats from Markel Collins stem from an October arrest on a terrorist threats and acts charge, records show. In that incident, he allegedly threatened a Meadowcreek High School classmate.
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