Charges Filed in Graffiti Death Threats Against Detroit Police Chief

DETROIT, MI — A Detroit man accused of spray-painting graffiti threatening to kill Detroit Police Chief James Craig and “all police” has been charged with making a threat of terrorism and other offenses, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said. The threatening graffiti was found Oct. 20 on a commercial building on the 200 block of West State Fair Street.

Stuart Horatio Lewis, 49, could go to prison for up to 20 years if convicted of the threat of terrorism charge, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement. Lewis is also charged with possession with intent to deliver marijuana, a four-year felony, and malicious destruction of a building, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail.

Lewis was arrested Friday by Detroit police after an investigation into who was responsible for the graffiti, which read: “kill all cops” and “kill James Craig.” He was released Friday pending the signing of the warrant and then re-arrested Monday.

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Threats against police officers have become more common amid escalated tensions with civilians, but police are taking the messages seriously and consider them a threat against all law enforcement officers.

“Cowards,” Craig said of the vandal or vandals behind the threat in an interview WDIV-TV. “... Not one of them would do the job that our men and women in blue would do. We run toward gunfire. They run away. They’re cowards. They hide behind the basements of their parents' home in some instances. In this case, the person probably came out at dark and did this."

“Given the environment that we’re in today, we don’t take threats lightly,” Craig told the TV station. “Any time you threaten a Detroit police officer, and now the Detroit police chief, that's a threat on all of us.”

Worthy said arrangements are being made with the Detroit Police Department for the Lewis to be arraigned on the charges in 36th District Court.

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