Phoenix man charged with sending threatening email to Maricopa County supervisor after 2022 election

PHOENIX — A Phoenix man has been indicted for allegedly sending a threatening email to Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates after the 2022 general election, state prosecutors said Tuesday.

The Arizona Attorney General’s Office said 44-year-old Ryan Stuart Hadland is facing a misdemeanor charge of using an electronic communication to terrify, intimidate, threaten or harass and could get to six months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.

It was unclear Tuesday if Hadland has a lawyer yet who can speak on his behalf.

Gates, a Republican, was the board’s chair during the last year’s elections, and the supervisors oversee voting in Arizona’s most populous county.

The attorney general's office didn’t release the contents of the email sent to Gates, but he reportedly moved from his home to an undisclosed location because of safety concerns in the days around the Nov. 8 election.

Gates, who worked to bat down election misinformation and a hostile political landscape in 2020 and 2022, announced earlier this month that he is not running for re-election but will fulfill the remainder of his term.