An inmate at a Georgia prison has been slapped with charges for allegedly making threats against Milton Mayor Peyton Jamison and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, officials announced. The suspect, Eric Elam, 30, was charged with two counts of Terroristic Threats and Acts after an investigation by Milton Police linked a threatening phone call to his prison cell.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, Elam, who is already serving a life sentence, made the menacing call on December 16, 2023, from inside the prison using a mobile phone. Investigators later found the phone in Elam's cell. Despite being behind bars, police believe Elam may have had accomplices and have not ruled out a connection to earlier threats made against the mayor and his family last fall.
The Milton Police Department has been on this case since the first threatening messages were received by Jamison in early September 2023. After several months and with the aid of the Georgia Department of Corrections, the source of the threats was eventually pinpointed to Elam's cell phone.
“Crimes like this in the cybercrime underworld and ‘dark web’ are typically very hard to investigate,” Milton Police Chief Jason Griffin expressed in an interview obtained by WSB-TV. He lauded his detectives for their resourcefulness in bringing clarity to the case, despite the inherent difficulties of tackling crimes shrouded in digital secrecy.
Both Jamison and the governor's office have so far declined to comment on the ongoing investigation. Yet, Mayor Jamison expressed his gratitude for the diligence of the local police force, "It's a great comfort to myself and my family to know that we have the Milton Police protecting and supporting not just us, but our entire city," he stated in a report by FOX 5 Atlanta.
Authorities have yet to disclose a motive for the threats or identify any additional suspects. However, Elam now faces the possibility of additional time added to his already life-long prison sentence if convicted of the new charges.
