Nicolas Alan Daniels, a resident of West Portsmouth, Ohio, has been sentenced to supervised probation after pleading guilty to threatening the life of a North Carolina state senator through a social media message last year.
The 38-year-old entered a plea to one felony count of threatening a legislative officer last Thursday in Wake County court, as indicated by legal documents. As a result, he received a suspended sentence of 6-17 months along with two years of probation.
In February, Daniels was arrested by the North Carolina General Assembly police after allegedly sending threatening messages to Republican state Sen. Todd Johnson on Facebook during the previous fall.
The messages included threats to kill the Union County lawmaker and his family. Authorities in Ohio also played a role in Daniels’ arrest.
Initially, Daniels faced two felony counts and ten misdemeanor counts.
However, as part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed all charges except for a single felony count. It is worth noting that in some court documents, Daniels’ first name is spelled “Nicholas.”
Daniels’ lawyers did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment on Wednesday.
During a court appearance in February, Daniels claimed that he did not send the threats and that his Facebook account had been hacked, according to a report by WRAL-TV.
The sentencing document states that Daniels is required to undergo a mental health assessment and may serve his probation in Ohio. Additionally, he is prohibited from contacting or approaching Senator Johnson.
Senator Todd Johnson, who is currently serving his third term in the state Senate, chairs the chamber’s commerce and insurance committee.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.