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Man Arrested After Facebook Threat to SC Governor

Nathan Shafer says post wasn't serious

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 25, 2011 9:45 AM CST

(Newser) – A South Carolina man has been arrested after he threatened to kill Gov. Nikki Haley on Facebook. Nathan Shafer, angered by the recent arrest of 19 Occupy Columbia protesters, commented on Haley’s Facebook post about the arrests, in which she said she “appreciate(s) freedom of speech,” KLTV reports. “I hope someone murders you before I do,” Shafer said he wrote. “How’s that for free speech?”

Officials dropped in on Shafer, 26, the next day to discuss the post, which he retracted. He says the post wasn’t meant to be a threat—he was just trying to shine light on free-speech concerns. He has since apologized to Haley’s family, but state agents called him to say he’d be prosecuted. He turned himself in this week. “I just think the whole situation is completely ridiculous and blown out of proportion,” he posted ahead of the arrest.

A frame grab from KLTV video of Nathan Shafer's arrest. (KLTV 7 News)

In this Aug. 13, 2011, file photo, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley speaks in Charleston, SC. (AP Photo/Alice Keeney, File)

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Man Arrested After Facebook Threat to SC Governor

Nathan Shafer says post wasn't serious

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