‘Rip your face off.’ SC man charged with threatening a public official, SLED says

A Greenville man faces criminal charges after sending threatening emails to a judge, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division announced Friday.

David Matthew Zwicker, 36, was charged with threatening the life, person or family of a public official, intimidation of court officials, harassment in the second degree and unlawful communication, officials said.

Zwicker sent an email to a judge whose name was redacted. The email contained a threat to inflict bodily harm, saying “I’ll rip your face off on Jan. 14, according to affidavits.

A police investigation found Zwicker sent nine separate emails between Dec. 30and Jan. 19 to the public official with no legitimate purpose except to cause a person to “suffer mental or emotional stress,” an affidavit read.

Zwicker was booked at the Spartanburg Detention Center.

The 13th Circuit Solicitor’s Office in Greenville County will prosecute the case, SLED said.