Wisconsin man accused of setting fire to lawmaker’s office over TikTok ban

MADISON, Wisconsin, USA — A Wisconsin man who allegedly told police he tried to set fire to a lawmaker’s office because he was upset with the federal ban on the social media platform TikTok was charged Wednesday with multiple counts, including one of arson. Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney filed a complaint against 19-year-old Caiden Stachowicz, charging him with felony arson, making terrorist threats, attempted robbery and criminal damage. property. If convicted of all charges, he would face a sentence of more than 50 years in prison. Stachowicz, a native of Menasha City, was scheduled to make his first court appearance Wednesday morning. Online court records indicated Judge Tricia Walker set cash bail for him at $500,000 and ordered him to have no contact with Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman or his staff. He was also prohibited from possessing any dangerous weapons or materials to start a fire. Records showed Stachowicz appeared via video call from jail. His lawyer could not be contacted at this time. According to the complaint, a police officer responded to a fire outside Grothman’s office in Fond du Lac around 1 a.m. Sunday and saw Stachowicz standing near the site. The officer said that while he was working to put out the flames with his fire extinguisher, Stachowicz told him he started the fire because he doesn’t like Grothman. The officer handcuffed Stachowicz and took him to the police department. Firefighters and police quickly extinguished the fire, limiting the damage. During an interview at the police department, Stachowicz told the officer that he bought gasoline and matches to start a fire in Grothman’s office, according to the complaint. He said he tried to get into the office so he could start the fire inside, but he couldn’t break the window. He then poured the gasoline into an electrical box at the back of the building and around the front of the building, lit a match and watched it burn, the complaint adds. He noted that he wanted to burn the building because the US government was shutting down TikTok and Grothman voted “in favor” of banning the social network, according to the complaint. Grothman voted in favor of a bill in April last year that forced TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell its US operation by Sunday. Stachowicz said he believed the closure violated his constitutional rights. He added that he had participated in peaceful protests in the past, but no longer believes peace is an option, the complaint states. “Caiden said it was a government building and he wanted to cause a disruption and make a point by starting the fire in the building,” according to the complaint. “Caiden commented that he wished the entire building had burned down.” When asked if he expected people to be inside the building, he said no and that he didn’t want to hurt anyone, and he didn’t want to hurt Grothman either. TikTok went down in the US on Saturday afternoon, but the platform was back up and running hours later after then-President-elect Donald Trump said he would try to give ByteDance more time to find a buyer. Trump signed an executive order Monday after taking office instructing the U.S. attorney general not to implement the ban for 75 days. When asked to comment on the charges, Grothman spokeswoman Noelle Young responded by saying Grothman would call The Associated Press directly. However, the lawmaker had not contacted the AP as of Wednesday afternoon.

Arizona lawmakers propose law to make Trump’s mass deportations easier

Arizona lawmakers are considering new law to ensure key border state cooperates with new administration’s mass deportation push in response to the question of to what extent states will help Donald Trump’s government. Senate President Warren Petersen introduced the “Arizona ICE Act,” which would require sheriff’s departments and the Arizona Department of Corrections to sign cooperative agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The cooperation agreement with the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), under the controversial federal program 287 (g), would grant immigration agent functions to local police departments, including the identification and detention of a person suspected of being an undocumented immigrant. “Ending the crisis at the border requires all of us to cooperate. This legislation will allow the federal and state governments to work together to protect our citizens,” Petersen said in statements sent to EFE. The proposal also seeks to provide additional funds so that police departments can implement state law 314, passed in Arizona during the last November elections. This law allows police departments to arrest and imprison migrants who have crossed the border irregularly. The law has not yet taken effect as Arizona awaits the legal future of a similar law passed in Texas that is in the courts. The Arizona State Sheriffs’ Association has requested at least an additional $50 million in funding from the state Legislature to implement this new measure if it goes into effect. The Republican Party maintained control of the Arizona state legislature during the last election, which makes it easier for them to advance laws against irregular migration. Petersen said he hopes Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, will not oppose this bill and “respect” the will of voters by signing the legislation once it reaches her desk. Keep reading: • Republican senator claims that ICE arrested 308 immigrants in a matter of hours• They denounce the arrest of 200 immigrants in a surprise raid carried out in California• ICE withdraws ‘sensitive areas’ rule to carry out raids against immigrants anywhere: schools, churches, shelters, courts

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