Jail time for man who threatened to shoot Wisconsin lawmakers

(The Center Square) – A man who threatened to take a rifle to the Wisconsin Capitol and shoot lawmakers has been sentenced to jail, but he won’t go behind bars.

A Fond du Lac County judge sentenced 75-year-old James Stearns to a week in jail and a $500 fine after Stearns sent emails where he threatened to kill lawmakers and a local radio host.

“Political violence has no place in society and threats to murder legislators for doing the work of the people is a threat to democracy and must never be tolerated. Political disagreement is healthy, but it must be done civilly and peacefully,” Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney said after the sentence.

Toney’s case was based on Stearns’ words in his emails in 2022.

“Should the lawmakers of the State of Wisconsin ever vote to arm the public school teachers and/or administrators in Wisconsin, the following will happen! James R. Stearns at N8218 Ashberry Avenue in FDL, WI. Will purchase a gun, the most powerful I can purchase, and go to Madison and shoot as many of the people who vote for this law as I can before someone shoots me,” Stearns wrote.

Stearns was upset with the idea of arming teachers after the shooting at the elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

“Arming the teachers and administrators would be the worst possible thing our country/state would ever see, and I am more than willing to go down in a blaze of glory. Check me out to see that presently, and the first 72 years of my life, I have never broken a law, or been involved in the legal system in virtually any way. Outside of a few traffic tickets, my record is as clean as anyone walking the streets of Wisconsin. Do Not consider this a THREAT, but rather a PROMISE !!!,” Stearns added.

Steans wrote another email, where he made more threats against lawmakers.

“Do you not value the lives of your family, yourself and your fellow legislators? If you pass legislation to arm teachers, administrators and other staff people in the Wisconsin public schools, you'll be a dead man in 60 days of passing that legislation. Does this make sense to you? People will hunt you down and your family like animals. This would be the worst and the last legislation you get passed in Wisconsin,” Stearns wrote in his second email.

Stearns will not spend any new time in jail, however. The judge determined that Stearns had already served his seven-day sentence.