BRUNSWICK COUNTY — A Brunswick County man faces felony charges for allegedly threatening a state lawmaker.
ALSO: Altered NC fishing bill now targets inshore shrimp trawling, heads to House for vote
Anthony Street, 44, was arrested Friday by the SBI following an investigation initiated by his social media posts. The warrant for his arrest was issued on June 20.
The arrest warrant details Street unlawfully and knowingly threatened to kill Senator Bill Rabon (R-Brunswick) and/or up to 40 other North Carolina senators. The threat, conveyed via a social media post, supposedly warned legislative officers “deserved to lose their lives” and suggested the incident where Minnesota lawmakers Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman were shot in their homes on June 14 (Hortman fatally) could “happen here in North Carolina.”
Street was charged with threatening an executive legal court officer, a felony. The charge falls under North Carolina General Statute 14-16.7, specifically for communicating threats to a legislative agent, a Class I felony.
The post, now unavailable online, supposedly spoke out against Rabon for his involvement in House Bill 442 — a bill originally intended to restore recreational flounder and red snapper seasons to increase their populations. Rabon added an amendment to the bill on June 17 to ban shrimp trawling in inshore waters and within a mile-and-a-half of the coast.
Street currently serves on the Brunswick County Soil and Water Conservation District Board after being elected last November. In a public statement, Brunswick Chair Commissioner Mike Forte addressed Street’s arrest.
“All elected officials must strive for respectful and peaceful dialogue and behavior, even when they may disagree or have different opinions,” Brunswick County Chair Commissioner Mike Forte wrote in a public statement. “There is no place for this kind of potentially harmful speech in our county, state, or nation.”
The county’s Soil and Water Conservation District Director Eliot Swain also issued a public statement on the arrest, stating the group “strongly condemns” violence, intimidation, and threats that are issued and directed to public officials and politicians.
“As stewards of our natural resources and representatives of the public interest, we believe that civil discourse, mutual respect, and adherence to lawful conduct are essential to a functioning democracy,” Swain wrote. “Threats of violence—whether verbal, written, or implied—have no place in our community and undermine the principles of public service and civic engagement.”
During his initial court appearance on June 23, Street was assigned a public defender and granted a $2,000 bond, which was posted before the first appearance. However, when he made his first appearance, a judge revoked the initial bond and increased it to $25,000.
According to court documents, Street was charged last October with simple assault, a Class II misdemeanor, and communicating threats, a Class I misdemeanor, but the charges were dropped in December.
Street is scheduled to have a probable cause hearing on July 10 at 9:30 a.m. in courtroom 2 of the Brunswick County Courthouse. The SBI’s investigation is ongoing.
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