Former Evansville mayor candidate speaks out after allegedly threatening attorney

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) — A former candidate for Evansville mayor says he was wrongfully arrested for threatening an Indianapolis attorney.

Court documents show Gabriel Whitley was arrested in August for intimidation against attorney and political commentator Abdul Shabazz. Indianapolis Police say the threats ranged from posting graphic pictures to photos of the attorney’s home.

“He posted a picture of my house and my wife’s car in the driveway,” says Shabazz.

According to court documents filed in August but recently unsealed, Gabriel Whitley, a former Evansville mayoral candidate known as “Honest Gabe” is charged with one count of intimidation- threat to commit a forcible felony.

“I got a hold of the police chief and the prosecutor’s office. They investigated and this is where we are now, him facing a class 6 felony which is 6 months to 2 and a half years in jail,” Shabazz says.

Shabazz reportedly told police that he was receiving unwelcome communications from Whitley on social media, some of which he says escalated to violence. Shabazz said one of the posts showed a picture of a deceased suspect laying on the ground with blood and claims the post from Whitely said “Maybe someone should do this to Abdul…”

“This is kind of ridiculous… that is crossing the line,” Shabazz says.

Eyewitness News reached out to Whitley for comment. He directed us to an official statement he made on social media and said he was wrongfully arrested over a tweet. In that statement, he claims his life was threatened months ago and says the Marion County prosecutor didn’t do anything.

A hearing is scheduled for October 10th in Marion County.

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