By Jake Dye

Peninsula Clarion

A federal grand jury this week returned an indictment against a Kenai resident arrested last month for allegedly sending threatening emails to a sitting U.S. senator.

According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska, 46-year-old Arther Charles Graham is charged with using interstate communications with a threat to kidnap and injure. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. He made his first court appearance on Nov. 3 and is scheduled for a detention hearing on Tuesday.

“Actions that threaten the safety and well-being of public officials are unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” says U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker in the release. “The Justice Department and U.S. Attorney’s Office, in collaboration with our law enforcement partners, will prioritize the vigorous investigation and prosecution of any individual who chooses to threaten and instill fear in elected officials.”

Graham was arrested after an investigation by U.S. Capitol Police connected him to emails sent in September to an unnamed senator threatening to “hunt” them because he was being evicted from his home. He was arrested in Kenai by Capitol Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.