A judge sentenced a former Tucson school teacher to two and half years in prison for making a death threat against State Senator Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff) and two store owners.
Navajo County Superior Court Judge Joseph Clark issued the maximum sentence against Donald Glenn Brown (pictured above) during a hearing in Holbrook on Tuesday. Brown pleaded guilty to attempting to make a terroristic threat in April, a class 4 felony.
The judge could have given Brown probation or a lesser prison sentence but decided to impose the maximum sentence. Clark gave three reasons for imposing the maximum sentence. First, he said Brown threatened a public official, costing the state considerable resources to determine who he was. Second, he threatened to use an AR-15. Finally, Clark pointed out that Brown threatened death against Rogers.
Brown sent an email on July 4, 2022, to Steve Slaton and Karen Slaton through their store’s website, Trumped Store. Their store in Show Low is located near a parade Rogers participated in that day, and she ended the parade with an appearance at the store. She had to be evacuated from the store after the threat emerged.
Brown said in the email, which came from a fake email account named “Jessica James,” that “Jim and Jessica” were next door at a burger restaurant with AR-15s, had Rogers in their gun sights, and were going to “splash her brains out” around the store. He called Rogers a “traitor” and said, “We are going to walk in your … joke of a store, and start shooting.” He said, “Wendy Rogers is going to [expletive] die.”
Brown resigned from his teaching position after being charged. He’d taught music to middle school students in the Tucson Unified School District for 30 years. It took six weeks for the Arizona Department of Public Safety, which is responsible for public officials, to determine who had made the threats. Brown was behind a computer 10 minutes away at his mother’s home when he sent the email.
Rogers and the Slatons asked the judge for the maximum sentence. Rogers told The Arizona Sun Times, “By asserting the 2 1/2-year prison sentence on the man who threatened my life, Navajo County Superior Court Judge Joseph Clark ruled in favor of my constituents, who elected me to fight for them. He understood that a threat on my life was a direct threat to them and their representation in a constitutional republic.”
//JUSTICE SERVED//
Today, northern Arizona’s Navajo County judge max-sentenced Tucson schoolteacher for threatening my life last July 4th at @the_trumped
“By asserting the 2 1/2-year
prison sentence on Donald Brown who threatened my life, Superior Court Judge Joseph Clark ruled… pic.twitter.com/fHlC7rR2ir— Wendy Rogers (@WendyRogersAZ) June 6, 2023
The Slatons also provided a statement to The Sun Times, “Fittingly, on this 79th anniversary of D-Day, Navajo County Superior Court Judge Joseph Clark ruled justly,” they said. “He upheld the sacred values and sacrifice made by brave Americans. In northern Arizona especially, our Trumped Store is a community where patriots gather. They will continue to do so proudly and safely because this judge upheld the rule of law, which makes us proud.”
During an appearance on Stephen K. Bannon’s War Room, Rogers echoed her statement to the court explaining why she thought Brown deserved the maximum sentence. “I represent a lot of little towns and cities, and I’m the only one who fights for them,” she explained. “So when someone comes after me, they’re coming after my people. And they’re coming after our constitutional way of life. And I’m not having it.“
For the Slaton’s statement, Karen Slaton read the entire threatening email to the court, which was full of profanity in addition to the threats. The defense argued some mitigating factors, such as the fact it was a first time offense, Brown had apologized, and provided letters of reference.
During an appearance on KNST’s The Morning Ritual with Garret Lewis, Rogers said that Brown’s statement in court pleading that he didn’t really mean it didn’t sound sincere since although he had six weeks to come forward and apologize while law enforcement was trying to figure out who was behind it, he didn’t.
Rogers told Bannon that it was ironic Brown threatened to use an AR-15. She said it’s “really rich, because of course the left hates the AR-15.” She expressed concern about the threat he made while he was still a teacher.
“Someone who has obviously been background checked, fingerprinted, and all this kind of thing, commits this heinous threat against my life and ultimately against my people, and has, you know, been an ‘upstanding’ person in the community,” she said.
Bannon asked Rogers if she and the Slatons were concerned about copycats, and Rogers responded, “No.”
“Northern Arizona is very Second Amendment-friendly, they do not hold back. In fact, Steve is running to be my counterpart in the State House in this rural legislative district 7, steveslatonaz.com.” Rogers said Steve Slaton is a “true patriot,” who’d flown helicopters in Vietnam.
Rogers said the Slatons posted the photo of Brown in the window at their store, and it will now state “sentenced” over it.
In April, Rogers obtained a temporary restraining order against an Arizona Capitol Times reporter who showed up repeatedly at her home after Rogers had made it clear she did not want to speak with her.
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Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
