CHICAGO — In a stunning turn of events, Darren D. Walton, 31, of Midlothian, Ill., has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for his chilling threats against Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees and local law enforcement officers.
In a brazen campaign of terror, Walton made over 100 phone calls to FEMA employees, seeking assistance with a disaster relief application he had submitted for flood damage to his vehicle. The phones calls were rife with threats of violence and destruction. In one chilling exchange, Walton warned, “Y’all better stop [expletive] playing with me, bro. Before there be a mass shooting in a little bit, bro.”
After the agency notified local law enforcement, Midlothian Police Department officers conducted a welfare check at Walton’s residence. The threats then escalated to include police officers as targets. Following the check, Walton declared, “Send ‘em again. And I’ll kill the [expletive]. Tell them I kill they [expletive] this time.”
Walton pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal charge of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger imposed the two-year sentence during a hearing on Wednesday in federal court. The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.
“Defendant’s threats were terrifying to the FEMA employees who received them,” argued Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Rosenbloom in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “The FEMA employees who received the calls were public servants doing their job. They did not deserve to be exposed to the terrifying threats contained in defendant’s calls.”
The investigation was led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security / Federal Protective Service-Region 5, with valuable assistance from the Midlothian Police Department.
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Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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