New Hampshire woman indicted for making threats of violence toward Wayne County board canvasser

DETROIT - A federal grand jury indicted a woman who is accused of threatening a Detroit-area election official after a stormy November meeting to certify local results in the presidential race.

Katelyn Jones was charged Wednesday with making threats of violence with a phone and through social media.

Jones' target was Monica Palmer, a Republican member of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers, and her family, investigators said.

Jones, 23, has ties to Olivet, Michigan, but was arrested on a criminal complaint, a temporary charge, in December in New Hampshire, where she was living with her mother.

Jones sent photos of a dead body and threatened Palmer on Nov. 18, the FBI said.

Monica Palmer, Wayne County Board of Canvassers.

She apparently was upset that Palmer and a fellow Republican on the four-member Board of Canvassers initially refused to certify Wayne County's election results on Nov. 17, typically a routine step on the way to statewide certification.

They subsequently certified the totals in favor of Joe Biden after people watching the public meeting on video conference criticized them during a comment period.

RELATED: Wayne County Board of Canvasser Chairwoman, Monica Palmer, speaks out after receiving threats

A message seeking comment from Jones' attorney wasn't immediately returned Thursday. Jones was ordered to participate in mental health treatment when she last appeared in Detroit federal court on Jan. 19.