Local man arrested and charged over alleged email threats to the mayor’s office, MHPS and PM

A 51-year-old Medicine Hat man has been arrested over emails threatening violence and death toward the mayor’s office, local police, and prime minister.

“They were very violent in nature, with threats to cause serious harm or death,” said MHPS Insp. Joe West, with the emails also including threats to blow up infrastructure, power lines and the police station.

West said the accused started sending an intensifying series of emails to the mayor’s office on Friday, Jan. 12, and the mayor’s office contacted police. The accused proceeded to send threatening emails to the MHPS.

“There was a series of them, and very specific threats against the police service, against the city government — and particularly the prime minister, some fairly detailed threats of how he would carry out violence to the prime minister,” said West, saying these threats to the PM were “quite detailed and graphic.”

At this time, it’s believed the threats toward the prime minister were contained solely in the emails sent to police.

The threats to police weren’t directed toward specific officers, said West, but toward police officers in general.

There were no attempts by the accused to hide his identity, said West, and police arrested him later that same afternoon.

“We took the threats very seriously, given the source and the nature of the emails, however thus far in the investigation it doesn’t appear that Mr. Benham had acted on any of them,” said West.

A medical condition and the accused’s frustration with the “system in general” appear to be the original reasons for starting to send the emails, said West.

“One of his motivations for making the threat may have been to get arrested,” said West. “We took it very seriously, we definitely couldn’t assume that it was for that reason, but there was a tone that sort of indicates that he wanted to get arrested at some point.”

William Patrick Benham has been charged with threats to cause death or bodily harm to any person, and threats to burn, destroy or damage real or personal property, and remains in custody.

He had his first appearance Tuesday at the Medicine Hat Provincial Courthouse — originally requesting that duty counsel run his bail hearing — but heeding the advice of judge and counsel to adjourn to Jan. 24 so he apply for legal aid.

It was noted in court that a request had been made upon his arrest for psychiatric evaluation, but the judge did not order this — instead deciding that if an evaluation is needed it can be requested when defence counsel is secured.