Father, Son Arrested for Stupak Threat

A father and son have been arrested and charged with conspiring to assault, kidnap, or murder a US official, after allegedly making violent threats toward Bart Stupak. Police say Russell and David Hesch, aged 73 and 50, are behind a letter that arrived on May 25, which warned that the Mackinaw Bridge would be painted “with the blood of you and your family,” in retaliation for Stupak’s health care vote.

The pair finished by urging Stupak to “consider following in the footsteps of your son Bart Jr.,” who killed himself in 2000. Stupak tells the FBI that the elderly Michigan resident has sent him 55 complaining emails since 2003. Hesch initially denied writing the letter, but copped to it on Friday, saying he’d had his son mail it from Denver to avoid detection. Now they face up to 5 years in prison, Politico reports. (More Bart Stupak stories.)