Online comments leads to arrest

HARALSON COUNTY, Ga. - It started with a heated public meeting at a Haralson County Board of Commissioners meeting and ended with the arrest of a man for making terroristic threats.

The Haralson County Sheriff’s Office said 56-year-old Herman Glenn Simmons was arrested the day after the meeting for comments he made on Facebook.

Haralson County Commissioner Sammy Robison was among county officials who were concerned about Simmons comments on the Haralson County transparency Facebook page.

“When you start threatening people whether it’s on Facebook or whatever you need to be accountable for that,” said Robinson.

The Haralson County Sherriff’s Office shared Simmons’ postings with FOX 5 News.

One read: “Wait till the mass shootings then the news will come out, someone will lose their home and flip.”

Another read: “Take a gun next time you will better listeners.”

Despite grammatical errors, the postings, investigators said, were in reaction to a Haralson County Board of Commissioners meeting last Tuesday where a large crowd arrived with concerns over increasing property taxes.

“All these people show up in a frenzy then you’ve opened the door to things like this and this is exactly what happened,” said Robinson.

Investigators said Simmons broke the law with his Facebook postings the next day.

Another of his posts read: “Lol you Gun.”

The perceived threats led employees of the Haralson County Commissioners Office to call the Sheriff’s Office.

“Most of the Commissioners took the comments as threats to them, as personal threats to them,” said Chief Deputy Joel McSwain, with the Haralson County Sheriff’s Office.

A man at Simmon’s home shut the door when FOX 5’s George Franco tried to ask questions.

In another post, Simmons, an apparent military veteran, stated: “I have PTSD, you can fire me up fast and I’ll get rid of their [expletive].”

Investigators said they had no choice but to file charges of terroristic threats and acts against Simmons who is 6’2” and weighs 325 pounds.

“We were just left in a position where we can’t afford not to do something,” said Chief Deputy McSwain.

Commissioner Robinson is a Vietnam veteran who works with local vets.

“I don’t know whether he has PTSD or not but that’s no excuse, that’s no excuse what so ever,” said Robinson.