A Buffalo, New York man is facing charges in Georgia after authorities say he made a death threat toward Rep. Mike Collins and his son-in-law.
Investigators with the Butts County Sheriff's Office say they learned about the death threat last week toward Collins and began working with state and federal partners to locate the suspect.
On Friday, Butts County Sheriff's Office deputies and agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation traveled to New York. There, they and members of the FBI's Buffalo Field Office arrested Anthony Lantrell Bennett, charging him with two counts of terroristic threats.
While details about the message that led to the arrest are limited, investigators say Bennett threatened to kill Collins and his son-in-law in connection with an online story that was not true.
"I understand politics. I understand disagreements. But there is a line that cannot be crossed. Threatening to kill a public official or his family is not politics — it is a criminal act, and we will take it seriously and hold those responsible accountable just as we did in this case," Butts County Sheriff Gary Long said.
Collins is running against incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff for one of Georgia's Senate seats. In a statement provided to CBS News, the lawmaker connected the threat to Ossoff's political attacks on him on the campaign trail.
"No American should have to worry that their home could be the next Butler, Pennsylvania, or Utah Valley University, and I'm grateful to the FBI, the Butts County Sheriff's Department and all law enforcement partners for acting quickly to protect my family," Collins said. "It's become fashionable for leftists to say anything they want about their Republican opponents to try to irrationally and inaccurately paint them as monsters. My opponent clearly likes to play that irresponsible game, and here we are. When you mix false accusations with inflammatory rhetoric, it fuels the lunatics who want to settle political disagreements with violence. My opponent should be condemning political violence, not whipping it up. He should apologize, retract his false attacks and campaign on the issues affecting Georgians."
"Sen. Ossoff condemns all forms of violence," an Ossoff campaign spokesperson told CBS News Atlanta.
