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Sterling Heights Man Who Threatened To Decapitate Judges Pleads No Contest

MT. CLEMENS (WWJ) – A Sterling Heights man has pleaded no contest to charges in connection with chilling threats he made against two Macomb County judges.

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Mohammad Subhi Alsheleh, (credit: Macomb County Sheriff's Office)

Mohammad Subhi Alsheleh last fall was charged with making a false report of terrorism and using a computer to commit a crime — both 20-year felonies. He pleaded no contest to both of those charges on Thursday.

The plea was taken under advisement.

According to officials with the Macomb County Sheriff's Office, the 30-year-old Alsheleh used a mobile device to and a phony email address to send death threats to a Royal Oak attorney who forwarded the message to the judges and authorities.

"It appears so he created an email account specifically to send this message," Lt. John Michalke said. "And then the message was to be conveyed to the Circuit Court Judges. It was a threat that he would sever their heads."

Deputies and detectives were later able to develop a suspect "based on prior occurrences" and the fact that the suspect had child-custody proceedings in the 16th Circuit Court of Macomb in front of both of the judges — identified as Judge James Biernat Sr. and Judge Kathryn George. No one was injured.

Alsheleh was arrested on an outstanding warrant from Chesterfield Township in September of 2016. He remains lodged in the Macomb County Jail.

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