Suspect charged in Tulare County for allegedly threatening Devin Nunes’ wife

A California man has been ordered to appear in criminal court in Tulare County to face charges that he harassed the wife of a U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes.

In a criminal complaint filed in Tulare County Superior Court on Aug. 13, William Joseph Burden is charged with sending threatening messages (via the telephone or other electronic device) to Elizabeth Nunes in January. The messages contained “obscene language,” including a “threat to inflict injury,” according to the complaint.

Elizabeth Nunes is the wife of Devin Nunes, a Republican from Tulare who represents California’s 22nd congressional district, which includes areas of Fresno and Tulare counties.

Burden, who is also known as William Joseph Terrel, was not arrested; he was given a cite letter to appear in court for arraignment Oct. 27. The misdemeanor charge carries up to 180 days in county jail, according to the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office.

The complaint offers no specific details about the harassment, but Nunes’ office told The Daily Wire that Burden sent a series of threatening and lewd communications aimed at his wife and children. Nunes also told the conservative news outlet that similar threats were sent to Sundale Elementary School, where Elizabeth Nunes is a teacher.

Last year, Devin Nunes filed two lawsuits against progressive groups that had requested his wife’s work emails via public records requests. In the suits, he claims the emails were used to “dox” his wife and her coworkers, providing their email addresses and other personal information online, which resulted in harassment of the teachers and increased security at the school.

There were no records to back up those claims, according to documents obtained by Mcclatchy. It not clear how Burden obtained Elizabeth Nunes’ contact information or what the motivation was for the harassment.

Sundale Elementary School District superintendent Terri Rufert confirmed on Tuesday that threats had been made to Elizabeth Nunes and other staff members over a period of time prior to or on the January date listed in the court filing and that the school took additional security measures following the threats.

She praised law enforcement agencies, including the Capitol Police, for taking the threats seriously and keeping the campus protected.

“We’re not going to tolerate a threat to anyone our our campus,” Rufert said.