Key Facts
- Defendant
- Caden J. Sluder, 23, of Oglesby, Ill.
- Charge
- Gross misdemeanor third-degree riot (amended from felony threats of violence)
- Sentence
- Two years of unsupervised probation; 353-day jail sentence stayed
- Conditions
- 50 hours community service, therapy, anger management (completed before sentencing)
- Incident
- Threats made after Aug. 27 shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church, Minneapolis
- Victim
- Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan
Background
An Illinois man has been sentenced to two years of probation for threatening Minnesota's lieutenant governor through social media in the wake of the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Aug. 27 after the shooting that killed two students and injured another 21 people. She said her heart went out to those affected and asked people to join her in prayer.
Caden J. Sluder, 23, of Oglesby, Ill., commented on Flanagan's post: "You should be genuinely shot and killed," according to the criminal complaint filed Sept. 3 in Ramsey County District Court.
Current Situation
Sluder also commented: "Children's blood is on your hands and soon it will be coming out of your mouth and (expletive) throat as we beat you" and "You should be strung up by the neck," the complaint said.
A Minnesota State Patrol trooper working at the Capitol district was assigned the case after a Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension criminal intelligence analyst reported their open source aggregation system alerted them to a threatening post.
Sluder, who was identified by an IP address, told the trooper over the phone that his posts were a joke, adding: "I'm not actually gonna (expletive) do anything. I'm not crazy."
Impacts
Sluder was sentenced Friday over Zoom after pleading guilty to an amended charge of gross misdemeanor third-degree riot. He originally was charged with felony threats of violence.
Judge Joy Bartscher followed a plea agreement that Sluder reached with the prosecution, staying a 353-day jail sentence for two years, during which time he will be on unsupervised probation. His plea deal included having to complete 50 hours of community service, therapy and anger management courses, as part of conditions of probation. He met those conditions before sentencing, according to court records.
On Tuesday, Flanagan declined to comment on the criminal case through her spokesperson.
Future Outlook
Scenario analysis: The possibilities below are not certain predictions.
If Sluder complies with all probation conditions, he may avoid jail time entirely. However, if he violates the terms, the court could impose the stayed 353-day sentence.
The case may serve as a reference for how authorities handle online threats against public officials, potentially influencing future prosecutions. However, its broader impact remains unclear.
Flanagan has not publicly commented on the case, and it is uncertain whether she will address it in the future.
Source: twincities.com
