Cedartown man who threatened to kill ex-wife’s family by text in jail

A Cedartown man remained in jail as of press time last weekend on a single charge after he was alleged to have sent text messages taken as serious threats against the lives of others.

49-year-old Ralph Michael Janis of a Bethlehem Road address turned himself into the Polk County Jail after a warrant was taken out on a charge of Terroristic Threats and Acts after he sent a message to a relative in Michigan threatening to kill his soon to be ex-wife’s family members.

Reports stated that Janis said in the messages he said he didn’t plan to get away when he committed the crimes when asked by a psychiatrist.

“And then he broke out the prescription pad and went to work. Lol,” one message read in the police report.

Polk County Police became aware of the situation in early September and had planned on taking Janis into custody following a divorce hearing later last month, but calendar changes made that impossible.

Instead, Chief Kenny Dodd said Georgia State Patrol and SWAT team members were called into help after they learned of a large amount of weapons in his household, and they executed a search warrant and found those firearms but no suspect within his Bethlehem Road home.

Janis did turn himself in at the Polk County Jail the following day on Oct. 3, and complained to one officer about police removing his guns from his home during a search warrant.

He remained in jail as of Oct. 5 without bond.